Overcoming Whiplash in Austin

Whiplash is the most common injury that occurs during Austin car accidents, but this neck trauma can be caused in several other ways as well. Sports injuries, roller coaster rides or general trips and falls can cause whiplash. Although the injury itself takes less than half a second to occur, the forces that whip the head in a different direction from the rest of the body cause a shearing effect between the neck vertebrae. This damages not only the alignment of the cervical spine, but can significantly harm the intricate network of connective tissues (discs, muscles, nerves, ligaments, tendons, etc.) that holds up the head.

Relieving Neck Pain, Back Pain and Everything in Between

The trickiest thing about whiplash is that, particularly with low-speed accidents, the symptoms often do not manifest themselves immediately. Right after the injury occurs a person may feel fine and think there is nothing wrong. But a few days or even weeks later, symptoms like neck pain, back pain, headache, vertigo and difficulty concentrating start to emerge, but with no clear connection to the original event. Some people suffer from these injuries for years before getting a correct diagnosis and effective treatment.

This is why we urge people who have been in any accident, even if it occurred at a low speed, to stop by and see us right away. Our Austin chiropractor, Dr. Wendee Whitehead, is extensively trained to diagnose these kinds of neck injuries and then treat them with highly-skilled, individually-tailored chiropractic care. Dr. Whitehead is particularly skilled in upper-cervical spinal adjustments that can help put the neck gently back in order to release pinched nerves. She can help patients rehabilitate the surrounding soft tissue injuries by teaching them therapeutic exercises and stretches that can help the neck heal and regain strength and range of motion. Our goal is to help you feel better and get back to pain-free living as soon as possible.

If you’ve ever suffered from this awful neck injury, how did it happen? What helped you recover?