Car accidents (especially rear-end collisions) can often result in whiplash that damages the ligaments and soft tissue in your neck, leading to pain and limiting range of motion. If you can’t get in to see a doctor right away, you’ll probably want to do something to help relieve the pain and prevent further damage. While treating severe whiplash yourself isn’t always feasible, there are some at-home methods for easing it until you can see a professional.
Learn more about identifying whiplash symptoms here.
Whiplash Injury Self-Care: How to Treat at Home
For mild cases of whiplash, self-care at home may be enough for it to heal. Some recommended treatments you can do yourself include:
Rest
As with most injuries, one of the most effective recovery methods is simply getting rest and allowing your body to heal. While it’s important to keep gently moving the affected area (more on this below), giving it time to heal is critical for a speedy and effective recovery. Rest allows inflammation to subside and damage to repair itself, but also may reduce the severity of symptoms like headaches. Take time to close your eyes and gradually return to activities — don’t push yourself too fast.
Ice & Heat
Should you use ice or heat for whiplash? Both! Alternating between ice and heat can help keep your neck from stiffening up. Ice is often used first to reduce the initial swelling (first 24-48 hours), followed by heat to improve blood flow and soothe muscle soreness. Hold an ice pack to your neck for 15-minute sessions every hour. With heat, you’ll want to use moist heat (like a hot compress) for 15 minutes every two to three hours. Always wrap ice packs or heating pads in a towel — don’t put it directly on the skin.
Note: Never fall asleep with the heat or ice pack or use a product that is damaged.
Gentle Neck Exercises
While rest is important, so is maintaining your neck’s range of motion. To do this, gently move your head from side to side and up and down to help prevent stiffness. Perform these neck exercises regularly throughout the day, especially if you often do work where you don’t move around frequently, like sitting in front of a computer all day. If this is the case, you should make sure to take breaks and help relax the muscles in your neck and shoulders.
Avoid Further Damage
Building on the previous point about gentle movement, be careful to avoid things that further aggravate the injury. For example, try not to hold your phone between your ear and shoulder because this can stretch your neck muscles at an awkward angle to one side. Instead, put the call on speaker or use headphones. We also recommend being careful if you regularly wear a backpack or carry a heavy bag on one shoulder. This weight might not feel like it affects your neck, but it can. Whiplash often damages more than just the neck, so doing anything that puts extra strain on your shoulders and upper back should be avoided until you’ve seen a car accident injury chiropractor.
Anti-Inflammatory Medication
You might also opt to take over-the-counter (OTC) medication, although you should call and check with your doctor’s office before you do so. In most cases, acetaminophen (Tylenol), naproxen (Aleve), or ibuprofen (Advil) are all good options that can help with inflammation and pain to relieve symptoms of whiplash.
When Do You Need to Seek Medical Attention?
A general rule of thumb for car accident injuries is that if your car sustained any damage, your body probably did as well. While whiplash is a common car accident injury, it isn’t always easy to recognize right away. That’s because the shock and stress of getting into an accident can actually keep you from recognizing symptoms for hours or even days.
Any time you’ve been in an accident, you should see your doctor just to make sure that everything is okay. When it comes to whiplash, you should immediately see a doctor if the symptoms get worse or you notice the following signs:
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Blurry vision
- Ringing ears
- Irritability
- Fatigue
- Numbness in hand or arm
- Trouble remembering
- Difficulty swallowing
- Trouble sleeping
- Pain, burning, or tingling sensation in neck, back, or shoulders
Your doctor may give you prescription pain medication, anti-inflammatory medication, or muscle relaxants to manage the pain.
How Whiplash is Diagnosed by a Chiropractor
Because of the effects whiplash can have on the spine, you may also be referred to a chiropractor for further treatment. As with most injuries, treating whiplash as quickly as possible will improve the treatment effectiveness and ease your symptoms faster. A chiropractor will evaluate your entire spine to make sure that no other areas were damaged in the accident. They’ll check for disc injuries, ligament damage, restricted motion, and muscle spasms. In some cases, they may need to order an MRI or X-ray of your neck and back to further diagnose a concern.
Once the chiropractor has determined the diagnosis, creating a treatment plan will begin. This might include physical therapy, ice and heat therapy, pain management methods, and more.
Pro-Care Can Help with Whiplash
If you’ve been in a car accident and need the help of a professional chiropractor, our team is here to help. We have years of experience treating whiplash and other injuries and our doctors can get you on the road to recovery with non-invasive care that doesn’t rely on potentially addictive drugs. If you’re struggling with whiplash symptoms, find a Pro-Care clinic near you or book an appointment today.
