Whiplash, also known as Cervical Acceleration Deceleration (CAD), causes neck pain. It often occurs when a rear-end collision causes the car hit from behind to move forward from the impact.

The car being hit is usually not moving. When this happens, the torso is pushed back into the seat of the car. As a result, the neck and head go up, coming into contact with the car's headrest. Due to the particular position of the car's headrest, whiplash will occur.

The phrase "whiplash" was first coined in 1928. The phrase "whiplash injury" describes damage to the bone structures as well as the soft tissues. Fortunately, whiplash is usually not a life threatening condition, but in some cases it can lead to a prolonged period of disability.

There are tremendous economic expenses that are related to whiplash. These include medical care, disability leave, sick leave, loss of productivity, and litigation.

The most common symptoms related to whiplash include: neck pain with stiffness, headache, shoulder pain with stiffness, and dizziness. Depending on the collision, whiplash can also include fatigue, jaw pain, and arm pain. Other symptoms that are not uncommon are visual disturbances, ringing in the ears, and general back pain.

The primary injury is to the soft tissues. The initial injury causes increased mobility of the injured joints. That means an abnormal increase in flexibility. In addition, many whiplash injuries will result in chronic symptoms. With time, the symptoms can become chronic because of the clinical instability of the patient. The most common site of injury is at the lower part of the neck.

If you have recently been in a car accident and have whiplash symptoms, you should definitely seek treatment right away. This is a very real injury, but it is also more than likely that you can fully recover from it if you seek treatment early.

Chiropractic care is a great choice to help reduce pain and return the proper mechanics to the cervical spine region. To understand the chiropractic treatment of whiplash injuries, it is important to understand that it is an injury to the muscles of the neck. It occurred because of the traumatic rapid forward and backward motions forced on the neck during the collision.
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A chiropractor will emphasize a comprehensive look at the mechanisms of the neck sprain. The sharp pain and restricted motion you will experience after a whiplash incident is a result of injured tissue. It is the reactive response of your nervous system as it gets locked up so spinal joints will protect from injury to the spinal cord.

A seasoned chiropractor should address the neurological responses that allow for treatment of the cause of neck trauma. Spinal manipulation will be introduced by your chiropractor but only after the initial traumatic muscle injury has been made stable.

A chiropractor should be using various types of treatments that depend on the stage of your whiplash symptoms.

Let a chiropractor help you return to your normal activities more quickly so that you can enjoy your daily life free from pain.