Whiplash describes an injury to the neck muscles that occurred as a result of the rapid forward and backward movement of the neck due to trauma, for instance, a car accident. It can lead to short-term (acute) neck pain together with restricted movement of the neck. There are chiropractic techniques for neck pain that relieve neck pain and speed recovery. These techniques can also help in recovering from neck pain due to working long hours in front of a computer. It’s essential to choose the right chair for your workplace.
The Stages Of Whiplash Chiropractic Treatment
Soon after the whiplash happened (in the acute phase), a chiropractor will work on lowering neck inflammation by utilizing different therapy modalities, for example, ultrasound. Next, he may perform gentle stretching as well as manual therapy techniques like muscle energy therapy. And the, he may prescribe that you apply an ice pack and/or a light neck brace to use for a short while. Finally, when the pain decreases and the neck become less inflamed, he will continue onto other chiropractic techniques to help you with restoring normal function to the facet joints in your neck.
Chiropractic Treatments For Whiplash
The treatment you will receive from the chiropractor in Austin for whiplash will be contingent on the severity of your injury. The most conventional chiropractic technique is spinal manipulation. Spinal manipulation techniques that are most commonly utilized include:
Flexion-Distraction Technique
A hands-on technology with gentle, non-forcing spinal manipulation to help with the treatment of the herniated discs with or without arm aching. The whiplash injury might have aggravated a herniated or bulging disc. Chiropractors use a slow driving action on the disc in the place of direct pressure to the spine.
Instrument-Assisted Manipulation
This is another non-forcing technique that chiropractors utilize, using a special hand-held instrument. Force is applied to the spine without using thrusting motion. This type of treatment is generally suitable for older patients that suffer from a degenerative joint syndrome.
Specific Spinal Manipulation
The chiropractor pinpoints spinal joints that are constrained or show anomalous motion (called subluxations). By utilizing this technique, he helps with restoring movement to the joint with a gentle prodding technique. The gentle thrusting stimulates the nervous system and stretches soft tissue to help restore regular motion to the spine.
Apart from spinal manipulation, the chiropractor may use manual therapy as well to treat the injured muscles and ligaments. These include:
Instrument-Assisted Soft Tissue Therapy
The Graston technique, for instance, is used for treating injured soft tissues. The chiropractor will carry out gentle repetitive strokes using the instrument over the affected area.
Manual Joint Stretching And Resistance Methods
An example of this technique is muscle energy therapy.
Therapeutic Massage
The chiropractor may use therapeutic massage to provide relief for muscle tension in the neck.
Trigger Point Therapy
Your chiropractor distinguishes specific tight (hypertonic) painful muscle points by placing direct pressure (using his fingers) on these points to bring relief for muscle tension.
Other Therapies For Reducing Neck Inflammation:
Interferential Electrical Stimulation
This method utilizes a low-frequency electrical flow to help invigorate muscles, which can help with reducing inflammation.
Ultrasound
By boosting blood circulation, ultrasound can help with reducing stiffness, muscle spasms, and pain in the neck area. With ultrasound sound waves penetrates deep into muscle tissues, which creates gentle heat that promotes circulation.
Conclusion
As you see, there are many ways a chiropractor can help free from suffering from neck pain and speed your recovery. It’s one of many conditions that benefit from chiropractic treatment.
