Whiplash and How Physiotherapy Can Help
Whiplash describes a range of head and neck injuries that occur due to energy transfer in the neck from and acceleration-deceleration motion. The most common accident we attribute to whiplash is car accidents and rear end collisions, while it can also be caused by and forceful hit to the head or body.
Causes
According to an article posted on PhysioinMotion, “Over a million whiplash injuries are reported each year due to motor vehicle accidents”. Impact from any direction and at any speed can cause whiplash. PhysioinMotion goes on to describe whiplash, describing how the more forceful and sudden the impact the more damage occurs to the body. “As the head is abruptly thrown backwards and then forwards, the cervical spine is forced into a position of hyperextension and then hyperflexion resulting in a range of movement outside the normal limits”. The shape of the neck (the cervical spine) becomes an S-shape instead of being a curved C-shape which is the natural resting position.
Causes of whiplash can range from car accidents, contact sports, or cycling and horseback riding, to roller coasters or even falls where the head and neck are jolted. Symptoms can be: neck and back pain and aches, stiffness in the neck, back, or shoulders, headaches, jaw pain and dizziness, just to name a handful.
Physiotherapy to treat whiplash
The symptoms of whiplash and the severity of symptoms vary from person to person. Symptoms typically start to be felt around 12-24 hours from the time of the accident, and often people find that symptoms are worse in the morning, just after waking up, and at the end of the day.
Physiotherapy at FLXME can help with whiplash. Our highly trained physiotherapist Nicole will discuss with you the cause of the whiplash, what sort of pain and symptoms you are experiencing, and then examine your neck and other sites of pain. Nicole will then develop a treatment plan that works to address all that you are experiencing and what she has found during her examination, to help reduce pain and improve neck strength and movement. This treatment could include strengthening and stretching, hands on therapy, and exercises for at home practice.