Whiplash, an injury often the result of a car accident, is a painful medical condition cause by abrupt changes of how your neck is positioned. Though most people report pain stemming from mild muscle strain, this type of injury can affect nerves, spinal discs, and ligaments. In extreme cases, it can even cause fractures.
How long will this neck pain last? Can it cause other symptoms?
The pain that you feel in your neck, as well as diminished movement, may last a few weeks or up to several months. It depends on the severity of your whiplash. Other symptoms can include headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, difficulty sleeping, fatigue, tingling in your arms, and more.
Pain Prevention 101: How to Help Prevent Whiplash in a Car Accident
According to the Association for Safe International Travel, approximately 2.35 million Americans were injured or disabled as the result of a road crashes. So what happens during a car accident?
- Your body has support from cushions in the seat, but your head and neck continue to move backward from the force of a rear end collision.
- Without proper support, your head continues to move backwards over the vehicle’s head restraint.
So you need to properly adjust your head restraint to protect your neck through keeping alignment between your head and body. Studies have shown that vehicles that have well-designed head restraints can reduced injuries from rear-impact collisions by 22% to 44%, and you can improve those chances by properly setting the restraint.
You can properly position your vehicle’s head restraints by:
- Setting the top of the restraint so it is even with the top of your head.
- Adjust the restraint to sit approximately 5 cm from the back of your head.
I’ve been in a car accident. Can I get treatment to help relieve my pain?
Though we’ve focused on whiplash and neck pain, a car crash—even a minor one—can also lead to back pain. What may be most confounding is that some symptoms may not even appear for weeks or months following the accident. So it’s vital that you seek treatment following a collision, avoiding the possibility of long-term health problems.
At Dynamic Health, we can help you identify the source of the pain and use a variety of treatments that offer genuine pain relief and increased functionality. Our team of medical professionals can treat a variety of common injuries and symptoms typically associated with car crashes:
- Whiplash
- Headache
- Low back pain
- Sprains and strains
- Shoulder and arm pain
If you’re suffered an injury from a car collision, contact us today to identify the issue and begin individualized rehabilitative treatments to get you back to your old self.