Don’t Become A Whiplash Statistic

by | Mar 22, 2016 | Health Articles

Neck Pain New Fairfield CT Whiplash
Our bodies love the exhilaration of moving fast. Unfortunately, they are not as accepting of the sharp stops. These sharp stops can not only be painful today but can have a traumatic effect on your health long term.

If you have ever been in a car, roller coaster, or possibly simply fallen and came to a sudden stop, you may have experienced an injury that may have produced neck pain, back pain, or headaches.

The injury suffered is most often described as Whiplash.

What Is A Whiplash Injury?

A whiplash injury refers to a group of injuries that occur as a result of the sudden, violent whipping motion of the head in an accident.  The whip can happen in any direction – back-forward, forward-back, side-side, or anything in between. Various injuries can result, including damage to the supporting muscles, ligaments and other connective tissues in the neck and upper back.  A host of related symptoms can then kick off from these, many of which, to the untrained eye, can appear completely unconnected to the original trauma.

Whiplash injuries most often result in a sprain-strain of the neck.  This sprain occurs when the muscles and ligaments that help support, protect, and restrict excessive movement of the vertebrae are strained or stretched beyond their normal limits.  The joints in the back of the spine, called the facet joints, are covered by ligaments called facet capsules, seem to be particularly susceptible to whiplash injury.  The nerve roots between the vertebrae may also be stretched and become inflamed. Spinal discs between the vertebrae, which are essentially ligaments, can also be torn, potentially causing a disc herniation or worse fractured or dislocated.

While whiplash may be the most common injury, it may not present itself immediately. These complex injuries can manifest in a wide variety of ways, including neck pain, headaches, fatigue, upper back and shoulder pain, cognitive changes, and low back pain.

Symptoms Of A Whiplash Injury

People who experience whiplash may develop one or more of the following symptoms, usually within the first few days after the injury:

  • Neck pain and stiffness
  • Headaches
  • Pain in the shoulder or between the shoulder blades
  • Low back pain
  • Pain or numbness in the arm and/or hand
  • Dizziness
  • Difficulty concentrating or remembering
  • Irritability, sleep disturbances, fatigue

It should be remembered that the effects of whiplash may take weeks or months to fully manifest, thus it cannot be assumed that no problems exist just because no symptoms are felt immediately following the accident. These symptoms should always be taken seriously no matter how insignificant they may, at first, appear due to the areas which are affected.

If you are not very careful, a whiplash injury may end up causing permanent damage when it is not noticed or its effect is underestimated. Around 50% of whiplash victims are still suffering the effects of their whiplash years later.

What the Research Says…

Nearly 1 out of 15 adult Americans suffers from the annoying and sometimes debilitating long-term effects of a whiplash injury, usually in the form of neck stiffness and pain. Fortunately, chiropractic offers a very high level of help regarding relief for whiplash. Here are the conclusions of 3 separate studies:

  • In a study published in Injury, 93 percent of 28 patients showed significant improvements following chiropractic care. The protocol utilized included spinal manipulation, stretching, and ice therapy.
  • Study results published in the Journal of Orthopedic Medicine showed similar findings. “Whiplash injuries are common. Chiropractic is the only proven effective treatment in chronic cases,” researchers said in their study conclusions.
  • Finally, two separate studies published in the Journal of Manipulative Physiology and Therapy confirm chiropractic benefits. “For chronic spinal pain in general, when compared to traditional medical approaches, chiropractic has generally been shown to be more effective.”

Using Your Head

Whiplash is a common injury that can occur in our current lifestyles.  Practicing safe driving and using properly adjusted headrest restraints and seatbelts can go a long way to preventing whiplash accidents.  Also, wearing the proper headgear in sporting activities, particularly for those playing a sport like football or lacrosse, can also help to prevent injuries. But when painful blows to the cervical spine occur be smart and have a professional evaluation by a chiropractor who is a spinal specialist and specialize in sports physiology and rehabilitation.

Green Light To Recovery

Although prevention would be the best solution, if you are in an accident remember seeing a chiropractor immediately after a collision can speed your road to recovery. Chiropractic care utilizes manual manipulation of the spine to restore the normal movement and position of the spinal vertebrae. Manipulation involves the Chiropractor gently moving the involved joint into the direction in which it is restricted. It is by far the single-most effective treatment for minimizing the long-term impact of whiplash injuries, and may be coupled with massage therapy, trigger point therapy, exercise rehabilitation and other soft tissue rehabilitation modalities.

So, if you or a loved one have been in an accident or are suffering from a related injury, make an appointment as soon as you can.  Remember that letting the chiropractor and his expert team know the specific details of the accident will aid in the speed of your recovery.

The Best Health Insurance Policy

by | Mar 1, 2016 | Health Articles

Natural Health Insurance New Fairfield CT Wellness

Healthcare in the US continues to deteriorate. Unfortunately, like a "boiling frog," we are becoming more complacent as the costs for lower coverage insurance rises. These costs not only affect our wallets, but also the loss of time and productivity spent waiting at the doctor's office. Waiting times can often be an hour or more....

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Which Is Best For My Pain Relief? Heat or Ice?

by | Feb 25, 2016 | Health Articles

Pain Relief New Fairfield CT Physiotherapy
Ice or Heat?  When you suffer with an injury or are in need of pain relief this question arises quite frequently.  Most often we reach for the solution that our mothers gave us or what our best friend who also suffered with the same the injury or pain did.

While some say ice is better for your pain, others claim that heat will do the trick.  But how can you tell which is more appropriate for the type of injury you’ve sustained or pain you are feeling?  And what is the best way to apply ice or heat?

With many differing and conflicting opinions, I am going to help clarify what is the most effective way to apply ice and/or heat to help you return to the best of health.

Natural Pain Relief Is Best

Safe and effective pain relief is found in ice and heat. When applied correctly, ice and heat offer you natural and effective pain relief.  The other benefit is, when you apply an ice or heat pack to an area, you are placing it precisely on the affected area.  Pain medication, on the other hand, has to be swallowed, digested and assimilated, affecting your entire body. Therefore, medication can leave a trail of potential side-effects.  Remember, it is always better to act as Mother Nature intended.

Glorious Ice

With an acute or new injury, ice is very effective for relieving pain and reducing inflammation.  The icy cold temperature numbs the area to reduce pain, slows down other cell functions and bleeding which in turn prevents bruising and swelling from the waste and fluid build-up, helping to minimize further tissue damage and scar tissue formation.

If you want to numb pain fast and most effectively, invest in a gel pack and have it frozen and ready inside your freezer.  If you are desperate and are nowhere near a frozen gel pack, grab some frozen peas and mould the pack with maximum contact to your skin.

Heat Is Sweet

Heat is best used for stiffness of joints, to relieve muscle spasm and chronic pain, such as chronic neck or back pain, it helps increase blood flow during the repair stage of an injury.  Greater blood flow means more oxygen and nutrients to your cells along with the removal of waste materials.

With heat, muscles relax and allow you to move freely, allowing for increased flexibility and facilitating proper stretching of damaged tissue.  Remember to always use a barrier between the heat and your skin, such as a cloth or towel to prevent burns.  Heat can be applied with a thermal gel pack or simply a small warm wet hand towel.

When To Apply Heat and Ice

When one or more of your muscles go into spasm, your body reacts to this “injury” by sending more white blood cells to the site.  These extra white blood cells can interfere with the red blood cells’ routine tasks of carrying oxygen and nutrients to the injured area. Waste products stagnate and accumulate in the affected tissue.  A lack of oxygen to the site can also stimulate a “pain-spasm cycle” where the nerves send “pain” signals to your brain.  In response, your brain contracts the muscles near the injury to close off blood supply and prevents swelling.  So starts a vicious cycle that can lead to more spasms and more pain.  Even worse, unless the cycle is broken, it can continue for years.

One of the best and easiest ways to break this cycle is to alternate ice and heat. Both ice and heat help shut down the nerves that fire the pain signals. When the pain messages can’t reach the brain, muscles don’t contract and constrict blood flow to the injured area. Applying ice and heat consistently for a sufficient period of time can help break the pain-spasm cycle.

Quick Caution Note

If heat is inappropriately utilized during the inflammatory phase of healing, an increase in blood flow to the already swollen, injured area often results in an increase of pain.  As long as pain is present, ice is usually safer and more effective.

Want To Learn More?

Our expert team has been providing our community amazing healthcare for years and looks forward to helping you and your family become the healthiest they can be for years to come.

If you have any questions, call or come in to see us!

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