Whiplash Treatment & Diagnosis

Whiplash Care at Pro-Care

Get comprehensive treatment and care for whiplash injury after a car accident from your team of doctors at a Pro-Care Medical Center near you. Whiplash is one of the most common car accident injuries, and millions of people recover from this type of injury each year. When you get into a car accident, the force of impact can cause your head to snap forward and backward violently. Your neck muscles will stretch and strain outside their normal range of motion, and this can put a lot of pressure on the spine in your neck and upper back. Whiplash is also known as a hidden injury because it can take hours or even days for you to fully experience symptoms. Neck pain, stiffness, soreness, and headaches are all common symptoms of whiplash.

If you’ve been in a car wreck, you’ll want to see our Pro-Care car accident doctors who have the knowledge and expertise to recognize a whiplash injury even if you haven’t started experiencing immediate symptoms. As the adrenaline wears off and your body starts to take note of its injuries, you can start to experience symptoms of whiplash or other injuries. Visit a car accident doctor for an accurate diagnosis of a whiplash injury and get started on a personalized plan of care to help relieve your pain. At Pro-Care, our team of car accident doctors offers a wide range of treatment options for a whiplash injury, including pain management, soft tissue mobilization, and chiropractic care. Visit us to learn more about how our car accident doctors will create an individualized plan of treatment for your whiplash injury.

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When Should You Go To The Doctor For Whiplash Treatment?

A general rule of thumb for car accident injuries is that if your car sustained any damage, your body likely did too. Even a small dent in the back bumper should be a sign that your body might bear the pressure and stress of a car accident. 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 a car accident can actually keep you from recognizing you have any injuries. Your body also starts pumping with adrenaline that helps trigger your fight or flight response and stay safe during a stressful situation. Once everything has calmed down, you might start to recognize pain and other symptoms start to set in.

Common signs and symptoms of whiplash to watch out for:

Neck pain and stiffness
Headaches
Dizziness
Blurred vision
Fatigue
Difficulty turning your head
Soreness in the neck and upper back

Signs you should see a doctor right away after a car accident:

Severe neck pain
Loss of mobility in extremities
Issues with memory and concentration
Issues with the bladder or bowels

How We Treat Whiplash Injuries

Whiplash is a specific type of neck strain that commonly occurs in car accident victims. The sudden movement of your head and neck can overstretch or strain your neck muscles and aggravate the nerves and other soft tissues in your neck and around your spine. Muscles or tendons in the neck could stretch beyond their limit and even tear. Whiplash can also occur alongside other car accident injuries, like a concussion or herniated disc. Car accident doctors specialize in treating whiplash and other injuries and help you experience lasting relief from your symptoms and injury.
Whiplash treatment will vary depending on your specific symptoms and the severity of the injury. A minor whiplash injury may include overstretched, but not torn, muscles and ligaments in the neck. You may be able to treat minor whiplash with home remedies like icing your neck and taking medications to help with pain and inflammation. Moderate whiplash could require additional support and treatment from a car accident doctor. Treatment options may include soft tissue mobilization, therapeutic massage, and chiropractic adjustments. Your car accident doctor may also recommend stretches and exercises to help you manage your pain and regain your range of motion after the injury. In some severe cases of whiplash, you may require additional medical intervention and rehabilitation to help you fully rehabilitate and recover. Call or visit us online to book an appointment with a Pro-Care car accident doctor today!

How Whiplash Is Diagnosed

When you visit a car accident doctor after a wreck, they will want to know about your experience. This can help them get a better understanding of how the traumatic event may have impacted your body. Take note of what symptoms you noticed and when they first appeared. You will also want to tell your doctor about any changes in your symptoms, like if a certain motion or activity made your pain worse. Your car accident doctor will also perform a physical examination of your head, neck, and upper back. This will help them assess how your muscles, tendons, and other soft tissues were impacted by the car accident. In some cases, your doctor may also recommend X-rays or a CT scan to rule out other potential injuries with similar symptoms. These diagnostic imaging tools provide your doctor with highly detailed pictures of the affected area so they can identify any bones out of alignment or tears in the tissues.

Whiplash Injury Treatment & Recovery

Treatment and recovery for a whiplash injury will look different for everyone because everyone’s experience is unique. Your car accident doctor will create a personalized treatment plan that addresses your specific symptoms and sets out a clear path for recovery and rehabilitation. Here are some examples of treatment options for a whiplash injury:

Home Remedies

Certain home remedies can help you manage pain and other symptoms at home or between appointments with your car accident doctor. Icing your neck and upper back will help reduce any swelling and inflammation. Cool temperatures can also be soothing and provide a temporary numbing sensation to help with the pain. After any swelling or inflammation has gone down, you can also talk to your doctor about alternating between cold and heat. Applying a warm compress or heating pad to your neck and shoulders can help soothe stiff, sore muscles. When your muscles are warm, they get better blood flow with oxygen and nutrients to help support the healing process.

Chiropractic Care

A car accident chiropractor can help you recover from a whiplash injury using all-natural and drug-free approaches to treatment. Chiropractic care promotes the body’s natural healing abilities by resolving misalignments in the spine and addressing soft tissue injuries. Car accident chiropractors can help you manage your pain naturally and restore healthy mobility to your head and neck after a whiplash injury. Your chiropractor can also walk you through stretches and exercises to help you regain your strength and range of motion after a car accident. Because whiplash can often occur alongside other car accident injuries, your chiropractor can help you manage your symptoms while also addressing the source of your pain.

Frequently Asked Questions On Whiplash

Yes, it is common for whiplash symptoms to be delayed. The stress of getting into a car accident can keep you from fully recognizing you have any injuries. Damage to muscles, tendons, and other soft tissues can also take a while for you to notice as pain, swelling, and inflammation sets in over hours and days. Whiplash can go undiagnosed if you don’t see a car accident doctor who knows the signs to look for with this type of car accident injury.

If you don’t treat whiplash, you risk developing chronic pain and other complications. Whiplash can damage the muscles and tendons in your neck, making it difficult to turn your head from side to side or up and down. If you don’t treat the source of your whiplash pain, you may lose some mobility in your neck and have difficulty turning your head in certain ways. If whiplash goes untreated, you might also develop chronic pain in your upper back and shoulders as these areas tense and compensate for the injuries in your neck.

A whiplash injury can take anywhere from a week or a few months to heal, depending on the severity of your injury. A mild whiplash injury might start to feel better after a few days of rest, ice, and pain management in consultation with your car accident doctor. For a more moderate to severe whiplash injury, you may need additional treatment to help you rehab and recover.

Whiplash typically does not go away on its own without any intervention. If your muscles and tendons get torn during a car accident, it can cause swelling and inflammation that disrupt the natural healing process. When you visit a car accident doctor, they can help set your body up for success so it can handle your injury recovery as effectively as possible.