Chiropractic Whiplash Treatment – What You Need to Know
When you’re involved in an auto accident, it’s common to experience whiplash. If you’re like most people, you assume that since it’s such a common car accident injury, you don’t need medical treatment. You think it will heal on its own, so you spend days, weeks, or even months suffering. Fortunately, you don’t have to go through that. You can undergo chiropractic treatment for whiplash. Your chiropractor will evaluate your entire body, including your spine, and create a customized treatment plan to reduce your pain and increase your mobility. Learn more about possible whiplash treatments at the chiropractor’s office.
Spinal Manipulation to Decrease Pain and Increase Range of Motion
Spinal manipulation is a common treatment option for whiplash. Pain often travels down to the spine, and you might even have herniated discs as a result of the injury. Your chiropractor can use different spinal manipulation techniques, including instrument-assisted manipulation, the flexion-distraction technique, or specific spinal manipulation. The approach your chiropractor takes depends on your injuries and the symptoms.
Therapeutic Treatment for Inflammation
If you have whiplash, you’re likely dealing with a great deal of inflammation. Inflammation creates pain and makes it hard to move your neck. You can get back to normal much faster if you undergo a chiropractic treatment to reduce your inflammation. Your chiropractor will assess your condition to determine which therapeutic treatments are right for you.
Interferential electrical stimulation (IF) is a common treatment for reducing inflammation. The chiropractor will send gentle electric pulses to the affected area. The pulses activate your muscles and reduce inflammation. You should notice a significant difference after undergoing this treatment.
Ultrasound therapy is also a common modality for whiplash treatment. Instead of using electrical pulses, this therapy uses sound waves that heat tissue. The warm sound waves improve circulation, which promotes healing. It also reduces inflammation, so you’ll be much more comfortable as you heal.
Manual Therapy to Treat Soft Tissue Injuries
Soft tissue injuries are part of suffering from whiplash. These injuries can be quite painful and respond well to manual therapy techniques. Therapeutic massage is often used to treat soft tissue injuries. Soft tissue impacted by whiplash holds lots of tension, and therapeutic massage releases that tension and alleviates pain.
Trigger point therapy is also used to treat soft tissue injuries. Your chiropractor will locate trigger points associated with your pain and use his or her fingers to alleviate your symptoms.
Your chiropractor will also likely use resistance-based stretches as part of your treatment plan. These stretches promote healing in damaged tissue. You can complete them in the office and at home. Along with helping you heal, the stretches will reduce the risk of reinjury.
Seek Treatment for Whiplash
These are just some of the therapies your chiropractor can use to treat whiplash. If you suffer from whiplash, visit a Brooklyn car accident doctor for help. Once you begin treatment, your symptoms will start to disappear, and you will feel much better. Then, it won’t be long until you are free of symptoms and have your normal life back.