Neck strain or severe neck pain is called a whiplash injury. Whiplash occurs when there is a sudden movement by your neck, and this often happens in car accidents. The sudden jerk on the neck causes the tendons and the muscles to stretch, which in the end causes whiplash. Athletes and other people who are in contact with sports are also the victims of a whiplash injury.
1. Prevention
Safety should always be your first priority, but you can’t prevent an accident which is usually caused suddenly and without any notice. However, to prevent whiplash, your neck muscles and tendons should be really strong so that they can’t be stretched. To make them strong, you must perform neck exercises daily, through this, a sudden jerk will not impact your neck as much as before. It is also vital for those people to exercise and stretch, who is in a resting or sitting position the whole day, such as office workers. People who have experienced a neck strain before should take due care of their neck.
2. Symptoms
Symptoms for whiplash are mostly neck pains. It starts with a slight pain in the neck, which gradually increases and tightens the neck. People notice the tightness when they are having difficulty moving their neck in different directions. They also feel the pain when they are tilting their head towards each shoulder. One of the symptoms of whiplash is also headaches, and fatigue, this happens because of the stretch in our muscles. Dizziness, forgetfulness, irritability and numbness are also some of the symptoms of whiplash.
3. Diagnose
During a whiplash, the injury is mainly in the neck tissues. As tissues are not visible on X-Rays, then you might have to perform CT Scans or MRIs because these imaging tests allow us to see through the muscles and the ligaments. These tests are very important because they identify the spot of the injury. After you’ve been diagnosed with whiplash, then you are consulted with a doctor, who prescribes certain medications. In severe cases, patients are required to wear a cervical collar, but not everyone. After diagnosis and the consultation, you are given bed rest and sent home.
4. Treatment
Whiplash injuries are treated homeopathically, as well as allopathically. The results are quite the same, but people mostly use the allopathic method because of an increase in loyalty and because of a doctor’s recommendation as well. In many countries, not only whiplash but other injuries are treated homeopathically because of natural substances and no use of chemicals or any other substances. Doctors prescribe both types of medications by looking at the severity of the injury.
Various medications are used to heal the whiplash, some of them are named as ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), and acetaminophen (Tylenol, others). To treat whiplash injury exercise is very valuable. Several people make a mistake by taking those medicines which are not prescribed, or at its worst, start taking medications without performing any sort of image testing or consulting a doctor. This is not smart, in fact, it is a way to kill your own self. Taking medicines without any consultation can lead to many complications and even death. If your health is important to you, then never perform these kinds of things.
At first, gentle exercises could lead to betterment with doctor’s prescribed medicines. As soon as you feel that the injury is healing, start increasing your exercise, this will not only make your injury heal faster but it can also prevent you from pain.
According to aicaorthopedics.com whiplash treatment is very relaxed as it heals on its own, but if you want to get rid of the pain faster, then you have to perform some methods as well. Icing your neck can soothe the pain and reduce swelling too. Wrap the ice in a towel or a cloth and place it on the affected area. You just have to do it every 15 minutes for 2 to 3 days. Doctors also recommend cervical collars to several people, but it should not be used for a long period of time because it can weaken the strength of your muscle.
Applying heat on the neck is also a great way to reduce the pain, but it should only be used when the swelling is completely gone. Warm baths or applying warm towels could be used as moist heat. Other than heat and ice, you can also take massages, do physical therapies, take injections (on doctor’s recommendation), have an ultrasound, etc. Whiplash treatment is not too slow, so do not be restless.
5. After the Treatment
Most people question that when will they completely recover, or when will the pain go away. The answers to these questions vary for each person. Everyone has their own capacity to hold the pain and everyone has a different recovery time. Most of the cases are solved in a few days, whilst some have longed for weeks. The pain in the muscles and the tightness will go sooner, and when this happens, doctors recommend to start the rehabilitation of the patient, and this will make your muscles stronger and flexible too. With whiplash injury, never rush with things, if you want to play sports, wait for a few days, when you recover, you can do whatever you want. If you rush with the things, you will end up with chronic neck pain and a permanent injury. Patients get restless when it’s the end, but stay calm and do whatever your doctor recommends.
Whiplash injury are diagnosed very soon and the treatment also starts very early, so people do not have to wait for the reports for so long. You just have to stay calm and patient during the recovery time, follow your doctor’s instructions, exercise regularly, prevent from those things which can cause pressure on the neck, and take medications on time. The more you take care of yourself, the sooner you will get on your feet. Stay fit and healthy always!
