What is Whiplash?

Whiplash is an injury that occurs to the neck when a sudden, rapid force is applied causing your head to move back-and-forth quickly. While most people commonly associate whiplash with an auto-mobile accident, whiplash can also occur from sports, slips, falls and other sorts of physical trauma. Whiplash can cause damage to the soft tissues (muscles, tendons, ligaments, joint capsules) of the neck and surrounding areas as well as the bones and nerves.

Common Symptoms of Whiplash

Common symptoms include:

  • Neck and/or upper back pain
  • Pain that is worse with neck movement
  • Loss of motion
  • Headaches
  • Tenderness
  • Radiating pain to the shoulders and/or arms
  • Dizziness
  • And more.......

Often when left untreated, even once pain goes away, the effects of a whiplash injury can come back years down the road with decreased range of motion, chronic neck stiffness and speeding up the effects of arthritis.

How do we treat whiplash?

-A thorough and detailed evaluation

-Treatment of injured soft tissues (dry needling, A.R.T, class IV laser, IASTM and cupping)

-Restore joint mobility and increase range of motion

-Strengthen and stabilize (DNS and exercise rehabilitation)