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Neck Pain & Whiplash Injuries ::
Car
accidents, blows to the back in sports, and on-the-job injuries
can easily leave you with a whiplash injury. While symptoms are
often felt immediately, pain may be delayed for days, months, or,
in rare cases, even years. In fact, many people wake up with neck
pain without being aware of ever having a head or neck injury. The
most common symptom of whiplash (affecting 62% to 92% of those injured)
is neck pain, and it usually begins between two hours and two days
after the accident. This is often the result of tightened muscles
that react to either muscle tears or excessive movement of joints
from ligament damage. The muscles tighten in an effort to splint
up and support the head, limiting the excessive movement. While
muscle relaxants and pain killers can relieve some of the discomfort
of these muscle spasms, these medications will only cover up symptoms,
failing to address the cause of the problem.
An
estimated 66% to 70% of those suffering from whiplash complain of
headaches.The pain may be on one side or both, on- again/-off again
or constant, in one location or more diffuse. These headaches, like
neck pain, are often the result of tightened, tensed muscles trying
to keep the head stable and, like tension headaches, they are often
felt behind the eyes.
Shoulder
pain, often described as pain radiating down the back of the neck
into the shoulder blade area, also may be the result of tensed muscles.
Muscle tears often are described as burning, prickling or tingling
pain. More severe disc damage may cause sharp pain with certain
movements which are relieved by holding your hand over your head.
If
you experience any of these symptoms, you may have a whiplash injury
that, if left untreated, can cause far more serious problems months
or years later.
The
Quebec Automobile Insurance Society recently released an exhaustive
study of more than 10,382 articles on neck injuries and concluded
most interventions for whiplash injury were proven, including soft
cervical collars and corticosteroid injections. Yet they recommended
spinal manipulation as being clearly effective. So if you suspect
you have a whiplash injury, and/or have been involved in an automobile
accident, or if you are having neck pain for some other reason our
office is ready to help you with all of the paperwork, including
helping you to get a claim number established and billing the insurance
carrier. We'll help guide you through the red tape, so that you
can focus on getting better.
Stephen
M. Foreman and Arthur C. Croft, Whiplash Injuries: The Cervical
Acceleration/Deceleration Syndrome, 1988 Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore,
Ibid, p. 287 Ibid, p. 289. Quebec Task Force Rewrites Whiplash Protocols,
June 5, 1995, Dynamic Chiropractic, Vol. 13, No. 12, p. 28
We
hope you will find this general information helpful. If you need
additional information about the following condition, please call
us at our office during regular business hours, and one of our staff
members will be happy to assist you with any questions you may have.
Our office number is 555-555-5555.
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