Chiropractic Care for Whiplash

Chiropractors are leaders in the care of whiplash type injuries. Your Chiropractor, more than any other type of physician, is trained to help you to restore movement you may lose after the crash, speed your recovery, and diminish any chronic symptoms that may be developing.

Whiplash is more accurately described as “cervical acceleration/deceleration syndrome”(CAD), because this terminology describes the rapid movements that can injure the vertebra of the neck along with the muscles and ligaments that support it when those structures are impacted from a blow from the rear. Researchers have recently discovered that CAD and it’s effects can result from low speed collisions, as low as 3 miles per hour, and it often is present in crashes where no vehicular damage occurs.

The anatomy of the cervical spine contributes to this potential for injury; think 12-18 lb bowling ball perched on a skinny stick! Our heads are so poorly supported that even the mildest impact can disrupt the delicate balance of head and neck muscles and ligaments that we so take for granted. Some doctors find it hard to believe their patients who complain of persistent headaches, neck pain, dizziness, etc. after “minor” car collisions, yet these symptoms persist for weeks, months, and in rare cases, years after the initial impact.

Whiplash is a serious public health problem. Each year, 3 million people experience whiplash neck and back injury, and data collected by researchers show that nearly half of all Americans with chronic neck pain attribute it to car crashes. A study published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Medicine not only points out the superiority of chiropractic care for chronic whiplash patients, but also examines which chronic whiplash patients respond best to chiropractic care.

Click here to read research on chiropractic care for neck injuries and pain