Whiplash: Is this the cause of your neck pain
Whiplash is an injury to the soft tissues of the neck that occurs from acceleration-deceleration force. It most commonly occurs in rear impact motor vehicle collisions but can also occur in contact sports and falls. Whiplash is a result of muscle strain and not a vertebral or disc injury. Wearing seat belts and properly adjusting the headrest can prevent or decrease occurrence of whiplash.
The symptoms of whiplash may include neck stiffness, pain, numbness or tingling, shoulder pain and stiffness, headache, pain in the jaw or arms, and dizziness. Less rarely, patients may experience blurred vision, ringing in the ears, and sleep difficulties. Symptoms may develop immediately or take several days to develop. Many of the symptoms of whiplash aren’t easily explained by the injury sustained and the mechanism of that injury. A disc can become herniated during a whiplash injury but more commonly the patient already had underlying degenerative disc disease which was aggravated by the accident. If symptoms last longer than six to eight weeks your doctor may recommend further testing such as x-rays or an MRI to rule out a disc problem. Most cases will recover much sooner than this with a few day to two weeks being common recovery time for the majority of patients.
Treatment of whiplash consists of rest of the strained and sprained neck muscles. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Advil or naproxen may be prescribed. Short term use of narcotic may be used as well as muscle relaxants such as Flexaril or Soma. Application of ice and heat may be recommended to decrease inflammation and muscle spasms. Your doctor may refer you for a course of physical therapy if these measures do not relieve the symptoms of whiplash. Massage, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation or TENS may be used as well as gentle stretching and strengthening exercises of the neck. Cases of whiplash which are more severe and require such extended treatment usually recover completely within two to three months. Some patients will develop chronic pain that remains with them permanently.
Patients who do not tend to get better as quickly include those who are older and would possibly have degenerative changes in the neck that were worsened by the injury and those whose injury included rotational and shearing force as well as acceleration-deceleration force. While whiplash is a real and recognized condition that causes suffering, in some patients litigation and secondary gain issues post accident may also prolong symptoms.
Whiplash is one of the most common neck injuries. The treatment of whiplash is conservative and generally has a good outcome and prognosis.
Sources:
http://www.necksurgery.com/causes-trauma-whiplash.html
http://www.mountsinai.org/Other/Diseases/Whiplash?isAccessible=true
http://www.spinecare.com/treatments/whiplash.html
This article is informational and is not medical advice. Always consult your doctor for questions regarding your medical condition and care.
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