Young Man Having Neck PainIf you were recently in a car accident, you might have symptoms of whiplash, including stiff neck and shoulders, dizzy spells, and a ringing in your ears. It’s no surprise that the jarring motion of your head being whipped back and forth has damaged your neck muscles, ligaments, and tendons. However, to ensure no permanent damage occurs, it’s vital to begin treating whiplash as soon as you notice pain or discomfort, which is likely to peak about 72 hours after you sustain the injury.

Treating Whiplash at Home

Start with at-home treatments to help lessen your symptoms of whiplash after a car accident. Here’s what we suggest:

Neck & Back Exercises

One primary goal of treating whiplash is to restore full range of motion with gentle stretches and exercises:

  • Neck rotation: Stand or sit with a straight back and your arms by your sides. Twist your head slowly to the left as far as you can without pain and hold for a few seconds. Repeat the stretch to the right. Alternate looking left and right for a total of three to five times per side.
  • Anterior shoulder stretch: Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Grasp your hands behind your back while keeping your elbows straight. Bend forward at the hips with a straight back and reach your hands up to the ceiling. Hold for 10 seconds, and then gently release back to a standing position.
  • Upper back stretch: Stand up straight with your arms by your sides, palms facing outward. Rotate your elbows forward and roll your shoulders to feel a stretch in your upper back. Hold for 10 seconds, and then release.

Hot & Cold Therapy

Your damaged neck and back muscles can benefit greatly from hot and cold therapy during the first 24 to 48 hours of your car accident. Start by wrapping an ice pack in a towel and placing it on your neck for 15 minutes a few times per day. This numbs the pain and keeps inflammation at bay. Then, apply a heating pad once or twice per day to increase blood flow and speed up the healing process.

Painkillers

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) provide temporary pain relief by reducing swelling in your sore neck. Follow the instructions on the bottle and your doctor’s advice to ensure you take NSAIDs safely.

Treating Whiplash at Spine Correction Center in Fort Collins

At-home treatments only go so far. If your condition isn’t healing as quickly as you would like, come to Spine Correction Center to benefit from several advanced methods used for treating whiplash:

Massage Therapy

To enjoy pain relief and speed up the healing process, consider a professional deep-tissue massage. Our massage therapists relieve neck pain and help restore a full range of motion to get you feeling well again as quickly as possible.

Chiropractic Care

Often used in conjunction with massage therapy, chiropractic care can be incredibly effective for repairing the damage caused by whiplash. Gentle cervical spine manipulation realigns your vertebrae after the trauma of a car accident. This reduces nerve compression, releases tight muscles, restores your range of motion, and promotes long-lasting pain relief.

Trigger Point Therapy

The damaged soft tissues in your neck may cause trigger points to form. These are tight bands of knotted muscle that cause radiating pain to develop in other areas of your body. To prevent this, consider trigger point therapy at Spine Correction Center. This treatment includes techniques such as myofascial manipulation, massage, and injections to promote healing of the dysfunctional muscle.

Traction & Vibration Therapy

The purpose of traction and vibration therapy is to increase blood flow to your damaged soft tissues and speed up the healing process. It also reduces the chance of your injury causing long-term postural damage that could result in more pain later on.

Diagnose & Treat Whiplash at Spine Correction Center

Don’t let an acute injury like whiplash turn into a long-term problem—treat your pain at Spine Correction Center today! We offer safe, effective, non-invasive, and non-pharmaceutical treatments to help you return to a healthy, active lifestyle as soon as possible.

To learn more about treating whiplash, or to schedule a free consultation, please contact us at (970) 658-5115.