Whiplash can happen when your head is rapidly forced back and forth such as in a car accident. Often, car collisions end up in law suits. There is a lot more to whiplash than many patients might think.
The Speed Of A Car Crash
It’s pretty easy to understand how high-speed crashes can result in injury. Injuries can also happen at low speeds. Vehicles rare show signs of damage at speeds less than 8 mph. Experiments using crash dummies along with high-speed cameras and highly sensitive sensors show the risk for a cervical spine injury during a 7 mph crash is around 54%. Even though the risk of injury at lower speeds is less, a collision at any speed can still lead to injuries.
Symptoms
Neck pain and other related whiplash-associated disorder symptoms (WAD) may begin right away or within a few hours of the accident. Some people however will not experience symptoms or injuries right away. For some these signs will not show up for a day or two or even for weeks or months. This is why most doctors and chiropractors believe you should seek an examination immediately after experiencing whiplash. Certainly you should get examined as quickly as possible if you are experiencing symptoms of whiplash. Studies show that patients who receive care right way tend to fare better.
Risk Of Whiplash-Associated Disorder Symptoms
Many patients will show improvement from whiplash injuries within the first four weeks. Improvement results in the return to their normal activities from receiving treatment in a timely manner. That said, almost half of WAD patients could experience persistent symptoms for up to a year. If a patient from the beginning suffers from headaches, fatigue, upper back or shoulder pain, blurred vision, dizziness, or has difficulty concentrating, sleeping, or swallowing could be at high risk for chronic WAD that will require more extensive treatment.
Chiropractors receive training to evaluate and treat patients suffering from whiplash-associated disorders. In many cases, they include manual therapies, rehabilitative exercises, physical therapy, and nutritional advice, and will often encourage their patients to return to their regular activities depending on the level of pain.
In other cases, patients might reach out to healthcare providers such as neurologists, physical or occupational therapists, orthopedists, and of course their own doctor.
Whiplash is nothing you should put on the back burner. If you are suffering from any of these whiplash symptoms after experiencing a car wreck in North Dallas, you should schedule a chiropractic appointment with us as soon as possible.
