WHIPLASH CHIROPRACTOR FOR THE LAS VEGAS VALLEY

Whiplash is an injury to the neck muscles from a rapid forward and backward motion of the neck. It is a common type of car accident injury, but could also be caused by high-impact sports and other types of trauma. Whiplash may cause short-term neck pain as well as restricted movement in the neck, but could also lead to long-term chronic pain or difficulty. Southern Nevada Chiropractic provides whiplash treatments for our patients around the Las Vegas Valley.

Symptoms of Whiplash After an Accident

When the neck is whipped in an accident, the following things can happen to the spine and surrounding soft tissue:

• Disc bulges and herniation
• Subluxations
• Injured bones in the spine
• Irritated and damaged nerves
• Pulled ligaments and muscles in the neck

Symptoms of these may include neck pain, tension in the neck, headaches, insomnia, blurred vision, challenges in concentrating, and extreme fatigue. Patients may also experience pain in the surrounding areas such as the arms, upper back, and shoulders. If you experience any of these symptoms, you should seek immediate attention from a professional as the injury may worsen without the proper treatment and care from a professional.

How Our Chiropractors Will Diagnose a Whiplash Injury

The experienced chiropractors at each of our clinics around the Las Vegas area will start by evaluating your spine as a whole. This is important because it allows us to discover if other regions of the spine beyond your neck may be affected. We will also identify any areas of restricted joint motion, intervertebral disc injury, muscle spasm, and ligament injury by feeling for tenderness, tightness, and joint movement in the area. This might involve a diagnostic technique called motion and static palpation.

Chiropractic Treatments for Whiplash

Because each individual case of whiplash is different, it is not possible to generalize about the treatment. Our professionals commonly employ different chiropractic treatments for whiplash, including:

• Manipulation
• Muscle relaxation and/or stimulation
• Various exercises
• Ergonomic and lifestyle changes

Our clinics can provide various treatments and therapies for whiplash injuries as well as the neck pain, back pain, or other issues caused by a trauma. Common chiropractic treatments may include spinal traction, manual soft tissue therapy, therapeutic exercise and stretching, transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS), nutritional counseling, and lifestyle modification. Depending on your pain, severity of the whiplash injury, and other factors, we will create a personalized treatment plan for you.

Our primary whiplash treatment for related muscle dysfunction, muscle relaxation, and/or stimulation consists of gentle stretches to the muscle that has excessive tension or repeated contractions of the muscle that is inhibited. If the muscle is very tight, more vigorous stretching and techniques may be applied to relieve the pain associated with the tight muscles.

Some spinal manipulation techniques that are commonly used include the following:

• Flexion-distraction technique: A whiplash injury may have aggravated a bulging or herniated disc. The flexion-distraction technique is a gentle, hands-on, and non-thrusting type of spinal manipulation designed to help treat herniated discs with or without arm pain. Our chiropractors may use a slow pumping action on the disc instead of direct force to the spine.
• Instrument-assisted manipulation: This technique is another non-thrusting technique often used for older patients who have a degenerative joint syndrome. The chiropractor applies force using a specialized hand-held instrument without thrusting into the spine.
• Specific spinal manipulation: For this technique, the chiropractor identifies subluxations, or spinal joints that are restricted or show abnormal motion, and restores motion to the joint with a gentle thrusting technique. This stretches soft tissue and stimulates the nervous system to restore normal motion to the spine.

In addition to spinal manipulation, our chiropractors may also use manual therapy to treat injured soft tissues. Some examples of manual therapies include:

• Instrument-assisted soft tissue therapy: The Graston technique, an instrument-assisted technique, may be performed to treat injured soft tissues.
• Manual joint stretching and resistance techniques: This might include muscle energy therapy.
• Therapeutic massage: A chiropractor may perform therapeutic massage to ease muscle tension in the neck.
• Trigger point therapy: This involved the chiropractor identifying specific tight, painful points of a muscle by applying direct pressure on these specific points using their fingers. This will alleviate muscle tension.

Other therapies could be included to help reduce neck inflammation caused by whiplash, such as:

• Interferential electrical stimulation: This uses a low-frequency electrical current to help stimulate muscles and ultimately reduce inflammation.
• Ultrasound: This works by sending sound waves deep into muscle tissues that create a gentle heat and increase circulation. Increasing blood circulation decreases muscle spasms, stiffness, and pain in the neck.

There are several physical exercises that can help with minor to major whiplash trauma from an auto accident, sports injury, or physically-challenging job. Exercises that may be employed by the experts at our clinic include the following:

• McKenzie Exercises: These exercises are specifically designed to treat those with whiplash injuries. They consist of simple movements that can be done in the office or at home to reduce the disc derangement caused by the injury.
• Stabilization/Sensorimotor Activities: These exercise approaches correct faulty movement patterns in your routine activities and everyday life. They train the nervous system to better coordinate and control movement patterns and improve the ability of the neck muscles to maintain stability.

Beyond these various therapies and treatments, our chiropractors may suggest ergonomic improvements or lifestyle changes to reduce strain on the body and encourage healing from whiplash. We may discuss stress reduction methods, exercise regimens, or nutritional changes that would help your healing and overall health.