Whiplash Injury Treatment
What is Whiplash?
Whiplash is a term given to an acceleration/deceleration injury of the neck. This may result in bony or soft tissue injuries (whiplash injury) to a range of structures in the neck.
Most commonly the structures that are damaged are the ligaments, joints and muscles at the front and back of the neck.
What causes whiplash injury?
Whiplash injuries most commonly occur in motor vehicle accidents whereby the neck is thrown forcefully forwards and then backwards (hyperextension).
The other common cause of whiplash is contact sports, where there is a forceful collision with another player resulting in a jolting force to the head and neck. These forces lead to an over stretching and compression of the structures around the neck leading to pain.
Whiplash signs and symptoms:
People who suffer from whiplash often develop neck pain straight away after the trauma or occasionally it may take a few days for the symptoms to develop. The main symptom of whiplash is neck pain which can be localised to the neck or it can radiate to the arms, head or upper back.
Other symptoms include stiffness or reduced movement of the neck, tenderness along the back of the neck, muscle spasms, dif ficulty moving the neck around (especially lifting the head off the pillow) and headaches.
Whiplash injury treatment and management:
Immediate treatment for whiplash is essential in order to ensure a quick recovery and to stop the condition from becoming chronic. Initially treatment is focused on reducing pain, in flammation and restoring normal range of motion with manual therapy.
Once more normal neck range of motion is achieved, postural exercises such as Clinical Exercise are important to address the underlying muscle weakness that is present or can form as a result of the injury.
Self managing whiplash:
- Initially icing or heating the area to reduce pain and spasm – whichever gives you the most relief!
- Gentle neck range of motion exercises avoiding pushing into the pain
- Bakballs™ to relieve upper back tension and pain
- Speci fic home exercises to address the neck and shoulder muscle weakness present
- The use of a supportive contoured pillow (as checked by your physiotherapist) for sleeping