Cervical whiplash injuries can occur when there is either very sudden or forceful acceleration or deceleration of the cervical spine. Given the nature of the trauma muscles, ligaments, discs, joints and/or nerves within the neck can be injured. While most cervical whiplash injuries occur as the result of car accidents, in truth any event where there is significant force applied can result in a whiplash injury.
Symptoms from a whiplash injury are not necessarily felt straight away. While it is true that some people experience immediate symptoms, sometimes the condition does not present itself for many hours to days.
Treatment is initially very gentle with the first priority to decrease the inflammation in the joints and muscles. Treatment then focuses on restoring normal range of motion in the neck and normal tone to the surrounding muscles. Due to the large forces involved these injuries can take longer to heal then other neck problems.
Chiropractors treating cervical whiplash injuries using a combination of spinal adjustive or mobilization therapy, soft tissue therapy, gentle traction, dry needling, taping, lifestyle advice, targeted stretching and rehabilitative exercises.
