If you have recently been in an automobile accident where you were hit from behind or where the airbags deployed, it's possible that you're suffering from whiplash. This is one of the most common types of injuries from auto accidents, and it's usually defined by the pain that a person feels in their neck, shoulder, and upper back.
Grove Chiropractic, in Dodge City, KS, is experienced in treating whiplash injuries. Read on to learn more about this condition and how we can help.
Why Does Whiplash Occur?
During your car accident, the incredible forces from the collision of vehicles were able to force the muscles in your neck and upper back out of their normal healthy positions. This is usually the case in accidents where a person was hit from behind as the force not only pushes a person forward but also the airbags and seatbelts in the vehicle work to push a person back. While the safety devices likely ensured that the crash forces didn't break the bones of your neck, the amount of force that this requires likely pushed your muscles out of alignment.
When this happens, the muscles put an unusual amount of stress and pressure on surrounding nerves. This causes them to send a pain signal to the brain, which in turn will cause the muscles to become inflamed. The inflammation, unfortunately, further expands the muscles and increases nerve pressure, leading many people into a cycle of pain.
How Does Chiropractic Care Help with Whiplash?
Chiropractic care can help to break this cycle of pain. A chiropractor can move the muscles in the affected area so that the body can start to reduce inflammation and reduce pressure on the nerves throughout the back and spine.
To completely alleviate pain, multiple sessions of these types of treatments have to take place. At each session, the chiropractor will move the muscles a small amount, gently realigning them back into their healthy positions. That means that after every session a patient will feel a small amount of pain relief. Muscles tend to want to move back, however, and they will become inflamed again. This is why many whiplash treatments will take several weeks or months to complete.
Ultimately, however, a patient will have the muscles of their body moved back into place and be back to their normal level of health.
Call Us Today
If you live in the Dodge City, KS, area and you have recently been diagnosed with whiplash, or if you think you may have it, give our Grove Chiropractic a call at (620) 225-3411. We have years of experience helping patients after they've experienced an auto accident injury, and we would love to help you, too.