Whiplash – What It Is & How It’s Treated

Have you ever experienced that awful feeling the moment you realize that someone driving behind you is about to hit you? Or maybe you were rear-ended at one time and you never even saw it coming. Either way, you most likely ended up suffering from whiplash, a painful and potentially debilitating condition.

What is Whiplash?

Whiplash is an injury to the neck, and encompasses a wide variety of symptoms. It occurs when the head is suddenly forced backward and/or forward, which often happens to occupants of a vehicle when it is rear-ended in a collision.

Less commonly, it can happen in a sports injury, fall or if someone is roughly shaken. The back-and-forth motion causes tears to the neck muscles and ligaments, and may even damage nerves.

Symptoms of whiplash may take up to 48 hours to develop and include:

• Severe neck pain
• Pain in one or both arms
• Recurring pain
• Numbness or tingling in hands, arms, chest or legs
• Weakness in arms, hands or legs
• Inability to move the neck or head

Other symptoms can include:

• Irritability
• Blurred vision
• Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
• Difficulty concentrating
• Depression

How is Whiplash Diagnosed?

X-rays ensure that there are no broken bones in your neck. Your diagnostician may opt for Computerized Tomography (CT), a specialized X-ray that produces cross-sectional images of bone, to reveal any damage. Lastly, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) uses radio waves and a magnetic field to produce detailed 3-D images. MRIs can also detect damage to the spinal cord, disks and ligaments.

How is Whiplash Treated?

It can take up to three months for the neck to fully heal, although the pain may dissipate before that. Severe whiplash may take longer, but usually improves within six to twelve months.

Things you can do at home:

• Over-the-counter pain medicine such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Advil)
• Ice and/or heat applied every 15 minutes, up to six times a day

Professional Pain Management

There are a number of pharmaceutical options your doctor has to manage your pain should it be longer in duration or keeping you awake at night. These include:

• Prescription pain medication for short-term use
• Muscle relaxants
• Lidocaine injections to numb the painful area

Professional Physical Therapy

Consulting a physiotherapist from the outset of an injury can pay big dividends in the long run. Stiffness can result from sustained muscle contractions, so tissues need to be stretched to facilitate proper healing. In addition to working directly with the therapist, you may be prescribed a series of stretching exercises that you can do at home, in order to help restore the range of motion in your head and neck.

Other treatments

Acupuncture, chiropractic and massage therapy can have a powerful effect in facilitating the body’s inner capacity to heal, a much healthier option than long-term painkiller use.

If you have been injured in a car accident, we can help. To learn about more options to treat whiplash, please visit your local HealthMax Physiotherapy Clinic. Call us at 416-431-4000 or Contact Us to find a location near you. There is no charge for your initial consultation.