Winning the battle with whiplash in Burien WA

Did you know that the less damage to your car during an auto accident in Burien WA the more likely you’ll suffer some form of whiplash?

Though at first it seems counterintuitive, it’s true. In auto accidents at high speeds—where more severe car damage is likely—your car absorbs most of the impact. In car crashes involving slower moving vehicles, you absorb more of the impact.

And that leads to whiplash.

That means if you’ve been in a car accident and not received any kind of medical care for whiplash, you may be experiencing long-term symptoms—like constant headaches or neck pain—without ever realizing the root cause.

What is Whiplash in Burien WA?

Wikipedia defines whiplash as “a non-medical term that describes a range of injuries to the neck caused by or related to a sudden distortion of the neck associated with extension.” It includes all sorts of symptoms you’re probably familiar with—from neck pain to headaches to ringing in the ears.

If you get whiplash, the best way to combat the likely long-term pain is to mobilize your spine—in other words, get chiropractic care. Many don’t realize this. You’ve probably seen old TV shows and movies where someone gets whiplash and a cervical collar is placed around his or her neck. But the research has shown us that leads to long-term pain. The swelling will go down, but the pain will persist because you haven’t dealt with the underlying root cause.

Normally, if you stand up straight, you want your ears directly over top of your shoulders. When you have whiplash, your head typically sits more forward. This means all the muscles and ligaments that attach down through your shoulders are constantly pulling as they hold up the weight of your head, which is usually around 10 pounds. With that comes pain in your shoulders and upper back.

That’s why the most important thing you can do when you have whiplash is to get into chiropractic care where you can stretch and move those muscles under the care of a medical professional. In fact I recommend a three-pronged that includes manual therapy, rehabilitation and massage. This may be a long-term process. Every patient is different. I recommend not putting a time limit on this treatment.

What can you do before you get chiropractic care? While you want to get an appointment with your chiropractor as soon as possible, I recognize that might not always be possible. In that case you’ll want to reduce your inflammation by getting as much rest as possible and keeping the area iced for as long as you can.

If you’ve recently been in a car accident, you very likely have some form of whiplash. Get in to see your chiropractor as soon as possible.

Your ability to avoid long-term neck and back pain may hang in the balance.