Are you a resident of Marietta who had recent involvement in a car or sports accident? There may be a possibility that the accident left you with underlying health issues that can deteriorate over time. These may include fatal impairments like herniated discs, dislocation of joints, whiplash, and fractures. However, some people mistake these injuries as sprains and ignore the signs. This negligence can come back to haunt you as whiplash is most often a long-term complication, and it can worsen if left untreated.
What is Whiplash?
Whiplash is a neck injury due to forceful, rapid back-and-forth movement of the neck, like the cracking of a whip. The damage is a frequent result of rear-end car accidents and sometimes due to sports injuries.
Usually, the pain goes away in a few days. But if left without any medical intervention, it can have chronic side effects.
Causes of car accidents
There are multiple causes of automobile accidents that include:
- Negligent driving: Most people show their negligence by indulging in various activities, such as using the phone, calling/texting other people, eating, and drinking while driving, which diverts their attention from the road.
- Driving under the influence of alcohol/narcotics: While under the influence, the driver has sensory suppression, potentially making them lose control behind the wheel.
- Over Speeding: Going at higher speeds reduces a person’s reaction time, increasing the probability of a car crash.
- Reckless driving: Driving without taking the traffic rules and regulations into consideration and not caring about the lives can jeopardize the lives of multiple people
Even though car accidents are one of the most prevalent reasons for spinal and neck injuries, other factors also contribute to the problem. These may include sports injuries, injury due to household chores, and excess weight (obesity).
Types of car accident injuries
It includes a variety of injuries like:
- Head injury
- Spinal cord injury
- Whiplash injury
- Herniated disc
- Knee trauma
- Bone fractures
- Scrapes and cuts
- Internal bleeding
Symptoms of Whiplash Injury
In most of the cases, the signs appear a few days after the injury has occurred, which include:
- Dizziness
- Neck pain
- Shoulder and lower back pain
- Migraines
- Stinging sensation in the arms
- Fatigued easily
Other than these prevalent symptoms, there are some less common ones in the general population, which are as follows:
- Ringing in the ears
- Inability to sleep (Insomnia)
- Memory problems
- Blurry vision
- Episodes of depression
Further complications:
Most people usually recover from the symptoms of Whiplash. However, if left untreated, it can lead to severe complications such as chronic pain and stiffness in the neck. This aggravation may leave you in need of whiplash injury treatment from Marietta. Periods of dizziness and ringing in the ears are also identifiable in particular people.
Hence, it is advisable to visit your doctor as early as possible to reduce the long-term side effects.
When to visit the doctor?
If you’ve recently had a car or sports accident, or your back/neck pain is making doing everyday activities difficult for you, it’s time to visit a doctor. If the injured individual is a resident of Marietta, they should seek chiropractic care. These are healthcare professionals who mainly treat disorders of the musculoskeletal system. This treatment primarily utilizes manual adjustment or manipulation of the spinal vertebrae to correct nervous system dysfunction. The best part is that they do this without providing medicines or doing surgery.
When to consider chiropractic care
Chiropractors have rigorous training to recommend exercises to treat and rehabilitate health conditions related to the bones, muscles, and joints. Not only that, but they also provide nutritional and lifestyle advice.
Painful joint and back problems can result from intense work, automobile accidents, sports injuries, household chores, and even the stresses of daily life. Chiropractic care may help if you are experiencing painful joints or muscle aches that affect your ability to get daily activities done.
People usually visit a chiropractor to help with:
- Back pain (spinal cord injury)
- Neck pain
- Whiplash
- Headache
- Arthritis
- Strains and sprains from physical activities
- Work/sport-related injuries
- Overuse injuries
Diagnosis:
Healthcare providers usually diagnose Whiplash by asking you the details of the injury and your daily life activities, such as household chores and stresses in life that may have led to it. This verbal conversation can help the doctor in determining the severity of the signs and symptoms.
You will have to move around and do some physical activities to determine whether or not your joints and muscles are functioning without any problems. These assessments include:
- Degree of movement in shoulder and joints
- During palpation, stiffness and tenderness of the muscles may undergo observation
- Limb strength and sensitivity
- Degree of motion that causes pain or an increase in pain
Additional tests are required for a correct and complete diagnosis. These include:
- X-ray – X-ray imaging creates pictures of the inside of your body in black and white colors. Its typical use is to look at joints and bones to check for conditions like bone fractures.
- CT-scan – A computerized tomography (CT) scan combines a series of X-ray images taken from different angles around your body and uses computer processing to create cross-sectional images of the bones, blood vessels, and soft tissues inside your body. It can diagnose bone and joint problems.
- MRI- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique that uses a magnetic field and radio waves to create detailed images of the organs and tissues in your body. It can diagnose various conditions, such as torn ligaments and tumors.
Treatment of Whiplash injury
The treatment aims to reduce pain, restore the normal range of motion, and get back to your normal activates.
The treatment depends on the severity of symptoms felt by the patient. Some of these may be relieved by over-the-counter medicines or at-home care, and others may need prescription medicines or physical therapy.
The pain management might follow these particular options:
- Rest may be helpful for a day or two
- Over-the-counter analgesics (painkillers) like ibuprofen and aspirin reduce pain and provide short-term relief.
- Muscle relaxants reduce pain and loosen tight muscles.
- Injections like Xylocaine (lidocaine) reduce pain so the patient can easily take part in physical therapy.
- The patient should not perform physical activities that put excessive strain on them.
Exercises recommended by the doctor include:
- Tilting your head side to side to increase motility of the neck
- Bending your neck towards your chest
- Rolling your shoulders
- Chin tucks to stretch the muscles in the cervical spine
However, if these exercises are not reducing the severity of symptoms, doctors prescribe physical therapy. Your physical therapist will guide you through exercises to strengthen your muscles, improve posture and restore normal movement.
There are two distinct types of physical therapy.
Another mode of treatment is referring to a chiropractor, who adjusts your spine and other body parts without surgery to relieve pain. You can refer to your closed chiropractor in Marietta to get treated effectively.
Final thoughts:
Even though numerous options are available to treat conditions caused by auto accidents, you should always try avoiding such situations. If not, it may lead to complications like whiplash and disc herniation. But by driving safely, you can easily keep your body away from potential harm.