Whether you are simply standing up straight, turning your head from side to side, or doing any other movement that involves your head, the neck will be a critical part of that movement. When you have neck pain, that can seriously impact your ability to complete those movements without discomfort. In some cases, you may not be able to turn your head, look up or down, or make quick movements at all when you have severe neck pain.
One of the main causes of persistent pain in the neck (cervical spine) is a whiplash injury. This can affect your range of motion, stiffen your neck muscles, and bring about chronic pain. If you are experiencing neck pain or limited range of motion, you may have a whiplash injury and need whiplash treatments from an experienced spinal expert such as ours at New York Spine Specialist.
What Is Whiplash?
When a person’s neck is forcefully and quickly moved back and forth – similar to the cracking of a whip – the neck injury that results is commonly known as whiplash. The motion can injure bones in the spine, discs between the bones, ligaments, muscles, nerves, and other neck soft tissues. There are various levels of severity when it comes to whiplash, also known as neck sprain or neck strain.
For some, the whiplash injury pain and other whiplash symptoms will get better over time (just a few weeks or so), but others will need to have professional medical treatment to reduce whiplash pain. At New York Spine Specialist, our medical professionals will analyze your whiplash symptoms and determine the best treatment for you to overcome neck pain and stiffness.
Causes and Symptoms of Whiplash Injuries
The most common cause of whiplash injuries is a rear-end automobile collision. The cervical spine can be injured in a car accident with speeds of only 5 miles per hour! If the accident occurred at high speeds, the neck injury will be all that much worse and may result in chronic symptoms and the possibility of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PSTD), which may lead to further pain.
Other common causes of whiplash and the severe pain that may accompany it include:
- Physical abuse
- Contact sports injury
- Pedestrian accidents
- Construction accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
As most people are well aware, the neck and cervical spine are delicate and need to be cared for to prevent more serious injuries. If an accident occurs and a patient’s neck is injured, that person needs to know the symptoms to look out for more severe damage. If left unchecked, whiplash can become a more chronic issue that you will be forced to deal with for the rest of your life.
Whatever the cause of whiplash, here are some of the signs and symptoms to look out for if you believe that you may have suffered this type of injury:
- Neck pain
- Tenderness
- Stiffness
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Numbness
- Tingling in the arms or hands
- Sleeplessness
- Pain in the upper back or shoulders
- Reduced range of motion
- Blurred vision
- Irritability
- Tinnitus
- Depression
With these symptoms, patients may require some medical treatment to reduce pain, such as physical therapy, wearing a cervical collar, muscle relaxants, Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS), or other treatment options.
Treatments for Whiplash Associated Disorders
At New York Spine Specialist, we will perform a physical exam of your neck and spine to get your whiplash diagnosed effectively. Neck injuries have the potential to be very severe with accompanying severe symptoms. Examinations and imaging tests such as an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) will be done to ease neck pain.
Whiplash patients will require intensive treatment from a spine specialist to relieve their neck and back pain and prevent more severe injuries. At New York Spine Specialist, our whiplash treatment includes:
- Pain management techniques
- Rest
- Heat or cold
- Over-the-counter pain medications
- Prescription medications
- Muscle relaxant medications
- Injections of numbing medicines like Lidocaine
- Physical therapy exercises
- TENS treatment
- Soft foam cervical collars
- Alternative therapies
- Acupuncture
- Chiropractic adjustments
- Massage therapy
- Yoga
- Weight loss management
You may sustain a serious injury following a car crash, such as whiplash. After the initial injury, you must find an experienced spine specialist to provide medical advice and treatments for the common symptoms of whiplash and other associated disorders.
If you are a resident of New York who has been involved in a car accident, you may have sustained an injury to soft tissue structures, a herniated disc, neck strains, and long-term pain. For any types of injuries and the devastating effects they can have on your life, contact New York Spine Specialist to schedule an appointment with our healthcare provider and get the treatments you need.
Contact Our New York Spine Specialists for Whiplash Injury Treatment
Our New York Spine Specialist spinal team comprises physicians, physician assistants, and surgeons who all work together to develop customized treatments for your whiplash injuries. Our primary goal is to return our patients to their quality of life and happiness.
We know that pain and discomfort brought about by a whiplash injury and the other symptoms associated with it can severely reduce your pleasure in life and prevent you from completing the daily activities you need to do. We will work diligently to reduce pain and return your neck to its normal range of motion with our treatments.
No matter how major the accident caused your injuries, the best way to reduce the potential for serious side effects from those injuries is to have whiplash treated. With an expert physician and physical therapist by your side helping you work through the therapy, you have a greater chance of successfully returning to your normal life.
Contact New York Spine Specialist for Spinal Treatment
Contact us today at (516) 355-0111 or request an appointment by completing our contact form. Our physicians are prepared to develop a treatment plan for your needs; therefore, you can rest easy knowing that we can treat your work-related injury and help decrease your pain, enhance function for your daily activities, and improve your quality of life. Our doctors accept workers’ compensation insurance, no-fault, and other health insurance plans. Call us today!
