Whiplash is a term that describes a neck injury caused by a sudden movement of the head forwards, backwards or sideways. It often occurs after a sudden impact such as in car accidents but can also occur while playing sports when yopu are hit in the face or the back of the head.
Common symptmos of whiplash are:
After an accident or inuury, it can take up to 12 hours for the symptoms of whiplash to develop. The neck pain and stiffness is often worse on the day after the injury and may get worse for several days afterwards.
Treating Whiplash
If you have been diagnosed with whiplash it is better to move your neck rather than keeping it still using a neck collar. Your neck may be painful but keeping it mobile from an early stage will improve its functionality and speed recovery. Whiplash that lasts for six months is called chronic whiplash and may need more aggressive treatment. Lastly, whiplash can be a serious condition and should be evauluated by a medical professional immediately. At that point the serious can be determined and a treatment plan can be tailored to your condition.
510 43Rd Street, Union City, New Jersey 07087
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Varinder Dhillon, M.D. - Interventional Pain Management Physician
Anthony Narciso, D.C. - Chiropractic Physician
For most episodes of pain home care for an acute injury should be to isolate the area of complaint, apply ice to any areas of swelling and redness and rest the affected area. While for a chronic condition you would generally use heat and some exercises added with some over the counter pain reliever. If your symptoms last more that a couple days or they are progressively getting worse seek medical attention and if you have sustained any type of trauma quick medical care is the best thing you can do!!!