What Is Whiplash And How To Deal With It?
You are quietly behind the wheel of your car when you have to brake suddenly. Your head quickly moves forward and sooner or later you notice a severe pain in your neck that does not go away. Here is the most common situation generating whiplash. This traumatic pathology is also called “cervical injury by non-contact acceleration”.
This condition is quite painful. It significantly reduces mobility during recovery. It can spread to other areas of the body. Getting a good rest is therefore essential after an episode of this style. The first thing to do is obviously to consult a specialist so that he can administer the appropriate treatment.
What are the symptoms ?
The following factors must exist or have existed to determine if you are suffering from whiplash:
- Abrupt neck movement, by own or third party action
- Severe pain in the cervical region, which may extend to the head
- Ruptured ligaments
- Contractures in the muscles of the neck, head or even back
- Dizziness or vertigo
- Pain with movement of the spine
These symptoms can occur singly or together. They will vary depending on the patient. These tend to coincide with the pain when moving the spine, either in the cervical region or in the lumbar region.
How to treat a whiplash?
The traumatologist is the specialist in traumatic injuries, such as the one that interests us here. He will carefully examine the affected area for major injuries. Whiplash can cause less severe ailments, such as post-traumatic headache (pain), but can also cause more serious damage, such as disc problems (in the vertebrae).
Since the area of the lesion is usually concentrated in the neck, one of the first preventive measures will be the placement of a neck brace. It will reduce mobility in order to avoid worsening the condition of the cervicals. Another common practice is the administration of pain relievers. This helps relieve local pain, which is often intense a few hours after the trauma.
Medication will continue for an indefinite period, depending on the patient’s recovery. The most common will be muscle relaxants and anti-inflammatory drugs. In due contractures caused by whiplash, it is often advisable to consult a physiotherapist to treat tight muscles. Massage, which activates circulation, and a proper diet can also help us speed up healing.
What to do during recovery?
- The most immediate preventive measure is the placement of a neck brace. So we have to keep it for about 72 hours. This obviously depends on the doctor’s indications, since everything will depend on the severity of the traumatic event. The neck brace will help us immobilize the area to avoid making strange movements due to the pain. However, we must remember that not moving the area generates atrophy of the latter. It is therefore advisable not to wear the neck brace longer than what was indicated by the specialist.
- It is also very important to adopt a comfortable and correct position to promote the correct positioning of the vertebrae. Two movements are fundamental: rectification of the cervical and lower back. To perform the first one, we have to move the jaw back, until we notice a rectification of the spine. For the second, we will turn the hip forward.
- When we are allowed, we can practice controlled and moderate exercise which helps us to strengthen the muscles of the damaged areas. Cardiovascular exercise, such as jogging , is not recommended because it promotes shock between the vertebrae.
- It is advisable to continue the visits to the physiotherapist during the recovery in order to control the contractures.
- Finally, continuing with medical treatment, as long as the specialist does not indicate otherwise, will help us to lead a normal life. Medication administration should be done by a healthcare professional, not our own decision.
We must also keep in mind that it is not always possible to recover our pre-whiplash state. Some wounds do not heal. It is important to understand it and accept it. Our quality of life can be affected. But we cannot let this interfere with our day-to-day functioning. Finding emotional support is important for this.
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Our thoughts When we follow bad habits or a bad rhythm of life, our body sends us signals quickly. Let’s learn to listen to them!
