Whiplash

Treatments for Whiplash

Whiplash is an acute neck injury that occurs from a forceful backward-and-forward (“whipping”) motion of the neck and head. This injury is most often due to a car accident, but it can also happen when playing sports and in other high-impact activities. The injury stresses the neck muscles, ligaments, and the cervical spine – which is the topmost section of the spinal column in the neck.

Whiplash causes intense neck pain and stiffness, but it may take a couple of days before it is felt. This is why it is important to have a family medicine provider’s evaluation right after suffering a high-impact accident even if you don’t feel like you were injured, because the family medicine provider’s report will serve as proof of the injury if necessary when filing a claim.

The symptoms may go away on their own, but it largely depends on the severity of the injury. Treatment often focuses on pain management and physical therapy exercises to facilitate healing.

How Can Whiplash Be Treated?

A family medicine provider will first assess the extent of your neck injury. Controlling pain is a main focus in treatment, and the treatments may include one or more of the following methods:

Supportive Neck Collar

Your family medicine provider may recommend that you wear a foam collar to prevent neck movement, which can exacerbate the symptoms and slow down the healing process. However, it is not recommended that you wear it for an extended period of time, because the collar can contribute to muscle weakness and atrophy as you’re not using those muscles in your neck.

Home Therapies

The family medicine provider may prescribe anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxants, or pain-relieving medication. Temperature therapy also helps with recovery, and it is usually advised that patients with whiplash apply heat and ice to the affected area a couple of times each day for 15 minutes each time. Be sure to follow your family medicine provider’s directions in order to prevent getting a burn or frostbite.

Rest

While recovering from a whiplash injury, be sure to get plenty of rest to allow your body to heal. Do not be inactive during the day, however – exercise your legs and walk around to facilitate circulation and movement.

Physical Therapy

A physical therapist (PT) can teach you exercises that will assist with a slow return to your neck’s normal function. Moreover, the PT can also use physical therapy modalities that can ease your neck pain, such as electrical stimulation and ultrasound therapy.

Family Medicine Provider in Wellington and Royal Palm Beach

If you’ve been involved in a car accident or sports accident and are experiencing symptoms of whiplash, our family medicine providers at Advanced Medical Clinic can quickly diagnose your injury and prescribe treatment. We offer full-service medical care for the whole family, from immunizations to checkups to preventive care. We also offer same-day appointments and serve walk-ins for urgent healthcare needs.

To request an appointment with one of our outstanding healthcare providers, call Advanced Medical Clinic today at (561) 434-1935 or fill out our appointment request form online now. We look forward to being your family’s go-to medical clinic!

The Importance of Seeing Your Provider After a Car Accident

Car accidents are an all too real part of life, both dangerous and frightening. Just like the accidents themselves, some injuries are more severe than others. Whether the accident is a minor fender bender or a head-on collision, it is important to see your primary care provider as soon as possible after an accident to be evaluated.

During traumatic events, hormones such as adrenaline are released into the body. Adrenaline is your body’s natural reaction to stress, in order to provide you with strength and stamina to escape whatever danger (real or perceived) you are facing. Neurotransmitters including endorphins are also released to keep you calm under times of great stress.

Both of these natural reactions are designed to aid in survival. They allow you to fight or flee in times of great danger. However, in doing so they greatly reduce feelings of pain and send you into a euphoric state, similar to being in shock. This is often the reason so many people decline being evaluated by their family medicine provider. They really are “feeling fine” and assume that if there is no pain, there must not be any injuries. But once those euphoric feelings start to wear off, injuries can start to present themselves. This can be hours or even days after an accident. The most common injuries caused by car accidents are whiplash and concussions.

With whiplash, you may feel pain in your neck, shoulders, upper back, and even tingling and burning sensations in those areas. Whiplash can present itself immediately or in the days following an accident.

Concussions can cause dizziness, disorientation, nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound. Again, these symptoms can be present right away, or take days to set in. Only a family medicine provider can rule out or diagnose such injuries.

Being evaluated by a medical professional will give you peace of mind, alert you to any symptoms you should be watching for, and will provide you with documentation of any injuries in the event that you will need to file an injury claim.

If you are involved in an accident, please call (561) 434-1935 or request an appointment online at one of our convenient locations in Royal Palm Beach or Wellington. Dr. Ishan Gunawardene and Nurse Practitioner Shariffa Gunawardene offer walk-in appointments to evaluate your injuries and treat you immediately after a car accident.