Whiplash is an injury which is often associated with car accidents. However, it can also be sustained from falls and sport related accidents. During whiplash the neck is uncontrollably propelled forwards and backwards which can lead to either mild or severe multi-tissue damage.
Even if the injury is mild and you feel fine immediately after an accident, you may wake the next day feeling stiff and achey. Unfortunately, even with mild whiplash injuries pain can persist for a considerable period of time, despite the absence of any serious or permanent damage.
A number of different tissues can be irritated during whiplash i.e. ligaments, muscles, joints and nerves. The resultant pain may become chronic, effecting your quality of life.
Research shows that Osteopathy can help with both acute and chronic whiplash injuries (1+2).
The joint restriction and soft tissue tension that are a common result of whiplash can be relieved with professional hands on treatment offered at The Preston Park Osteopathy Clinic. Advice on how to care for your neck and back will be provided to aid in your recovery process, whether the injury was recent or a long time ago.
We always recommend that you try to stay active as prolonged bed rest can complicate the whiplash and increase the risk of prolonged pain (1). Visit The Preston Park Osteopathy Clinic as soon as you can to try and avoid the progression into chronic pain.
- Gurumoorthy D, Twomey L (1996). “The Quebec Task Force on Whiplash-Associated Disorders”. Spine 21 (7): 897–8. PMID 8779026.
- Rydstad, M.; Schult, ML.; Löfgren, M. (2010). “Whiplash patients’ experience of a multimodal rehabilitation programme and its usefulness one year later.”. Disabil Rehabil 32 (22): 1810–8.doi:10.3109/09638281003734425. PMID 20350208.
