Whiplash & Auto Accident Injuries

An injury to the neck caused by a sudden movement of the head, backward, forward, or sideways, is commonly referred to as "whiplash". During such an injury, neck ligaments and muscles can be sprained or strained and vertebrae can be misaligned. While the term "whiplash" is most frequently used to describe auto accident injuries (in which a person is rear-ended, hit head-on, or hit from the side), whiplash can also frequently occur during ski accidents, bike accidents, falls, blows to the head, concussions, and other head/neck traumas.

Whiplash symptoms can include:

• Pain in neck, back, arms, and legs
• Disc disorders
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome / Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
• Vertigo disorders / Dizziness / Tinnitus (ear ringing)
• Headache / Migraine
• Visual disturbance
• Personality and cognitive changes (depression, attention deficit, memory loss, concentration difficulty)
• Insomnia, Sleep disorders
• Jaw and face pain (TMJ Dysfunction, Trigeminal Neuralgia)
• Torticollis / dystonia

In certain cases, more severe neurological symptoms can manifest (sometimes occurring many years after the accident) such as tremor, multiple sclerosis, Fibromyalgia, seizures, and reflex sympathetic dystrophy, to name a few.


How Upper Cervical Care Relates to Whiplash  & Auto Accident Injuries

Following the whiplash accident, symptoms can be triggered immediately or can take months or years to develop. The purpose of upper cervical chiropractic care is to reverse the trauma-induced upper neck injury; thereby reducing irritation to the nerves in the brain stem and spinal cord that can trigger pain and other symptoms. After an accident, an upper cervical examination is necessary in each individual's case to assess whether an upper cervical injury is present and whether benefit from upper cervical care can be achieved.

Information you can use:

Why you should be concerned about whiplash (printable)
Chiropractic & the chronic injury (printable)
Fender bender  (printable)