It is common for chiropractic care to have lengthened periods of treatment for some issues. However, not all conditions require that long period to resolve. The length of the treatment will depend on the condition, its severity, and the treatment protocol needed.
One of the most common car accident injuries people suffer from is whiplash. It makes it difficult to move your neck and may affect the quality of your life. You can get pain medication to help you cope, but you need therapy to restore proper movement in your neck.
Chiropractic care is often the most effective treatment option for whiplash. Chiropractic care focuses on the source of the symptoms of whiplash. So how long does it take whiplash to heal after seeing a chiropractor? Read on to learn more about that and chiropractic care for whiplash.
How Do You Know You Have Whiplash?
As mentioned above, whiplash is one of the most common injuries after a car crash. It will often materialize a few days after the accident.
The violent back-and-forth movement of the neck muscles and cervical spine is the main cause of whiplash. The movements cause the neck and cervical spine to overstretch. It causes the ligaments to tear and causes sprains. The collective injuries to the neck are what is referred to as whiplash.
Whiplash will present symptoms of neck pain, which might radiate to the shoulders and upper back if the damage is severe. You may also experience headaches, fatigue, trouble concentrating, and blurred vision.
What Are The Chiropractic Treatments For Whiplash?
During your consultation visit, the chiropractor will diagnose the whiplash and determine the severity of the injury. They will then develop a treatment plan specific to your injury. The main chiropractic treatment used is spinal manipulation. Some of the techniques they may use are:
- Flexion-distraction
It is a gentle hands-on technique without thrusting for spinal manipulation. It focuses on herniated discs that may or may not cause arm pain. The whiplash injury may have caused a disc to herniate, causing you more pain. This technique utilizes slow pumping directly to the disc instead of the spine.
- Instrument-assisted Manipulation
It is also a non-thrusting technique that is quite popular with chiropractors. The chiropractor uses a special device to apply force to the spine without thrusting the spine. It is much more effective when a patient has degenerative disc syndrome.
- Specific Spinal Manipulation
With this technique, the chiropractor will identify joints that have subluxations. (Subluxations are restricted joints or joints with abnormal motion.) Chiropractors use this technique to restore motion to the joints by gentle thrusting. The thrusting causes the soft tissues to stretch, stimulating the nervous system. When the nervous system is stimulated, it restores normal motion to the spine.
How Long Do You Need Treatment For Whiplash?
The length of time you need to recover from whiplash depends on the severity of damage and other factors. However, most patients recover completely from whiplash within three months. Factors that may affect the length of recovery are:
- Severe pain at the time of the injury.
- Age – Older patients take longer than younger patients.
- Post-traumatic stress disorder.
- Sex – Because women have smaller neck structures, they may need more time to recover.
For more on how long whiplash takes to heal after seeing a chiropractor, visit Bloomingdale Chiropractic Clinic at our office in Valrico, Florida. Call (813) 654-3921 to book an appointment today.