How To Treat Whiplash: A Complete Guide

Sometimes, the only treatment whiplash needs is rest, over-the-counter medications, and alternating between hot and cold compresses on the neck. You could be back to normal within a few days. However, if the pain persists or gets worse over time, you may require more serious intervention, like chiropractic adjustment, physical therapy, and even injections.

Male Driver Suffering Whiplash Injury

The physicians at Naples Community Injury Center can conduct a physical examination and run a series of tests to gauge the severity of your condition. We may also ask you different questions to get a better insight into how your whiplash has affected you. When you come in for an appointment, please bring any related documentation, like imaging scans, as that may help us get a head start on your treatment.

Whiplash Treatments We Offer

Many times, those who suffer from whiplash believe they can heal it via home remedies, and in some cases, they can. For example, they might take a couple of days of work to rest, apply hot and cold compresses to the affected area, or take over-the-counter medications to help manage and ultimately do away with the pain. Unfortunately, these methods don’t always do the trick, as the condition might be more serious than they thought.

That’s when it may be time to set up an appointment with Naples Community Injury Center. We approach constructing each patient’s treatment plan with their unique needs in mind. However, many of the care regimens we administer to whiplash patients tend to overlap, such as:

  • Chiropractic care: We will manipulate the cervical spine (in the neck) into proper alignment to reduce inflammation and nerve irritation and improve the range of motion.
  • Physical therapy: After you undergo chiropractic adjustments, we may recommend you receive physical therapy. It will help you regain your strength, flexibility, and balance. Part of this treatment includes massage therapy, which will help decrease muscle tension and relieve muscle spasms.
  • Rehabilitation: We may teach you new skills and exercises to help you function better after this whiplash injury.

It’s common to go through treatment and have days where you feel worse than you did originally. That’s all a part of the healing process, so don’t get down if you have a flare-up. However, if it persists, let us know so we can adjust your treatment.

You may feel hesitant to undergo these treatments for a seemingly minor injury like whiplash. However, it has proven beneficial. According to a study in BMC Public Health, the researchers found that five years after the accident that caused their whiplash injury, the victims still suffered a poorer quality of life, with pain being a contributing factor, than those with milder neck injuries.

How We Determine Which Whiplash Treatment Is Most Suitable for You

During your initial appointment, we’ll have you fill out a questionnaire that gives us an idea of your whiplash condition. Be prepared to answer questions, like:

  • Where do you feel pain?
  • Does it radiate to other places?
  • What helps the pain, if anything?
  • When did the pain start? Did you suffer an injury that caused it?
  • What causes it to flare up, if anything?
  • How would you rate the pain on a scale of 1 to 10?

Then, we may conduct a physical examination in which we will need to touch your head, neck, and shoulders. Our doctor will also ask you to perform certain movements so that we can test:

  • Your neck’s range of motion
  • Your reflexes
  • How far your neck will move before you start to feel pain or discomfort
  • The strength and sensation in your arms
  • Any tenderness in your neck, arms, shoulders, and back

Sometimes, we may order an MRI, CT, or X-ray to detect any dislocation or bone or soft tissue injuries.

An Overview of Whiplash

Middle-Aged Man Feeling Neck Pain in Morning

Mayo Clinic describes whiplash as a soft tissue injury that results from the head rapidly moving back and forth. It usually results from a rear-end collision, but people may also suffer this injury from contact sports and physical assault.

You may be suffering from whiplash if you’re experiencing these symptoms:

  • Dizziness
  • Irritability or depression
  • Limited or loss of range of motion in the neck
  • Headaches, usually at the base of the skull
  • Blurred vision
  • Numbness or tingling in arms
  • Tenderness in arms, shoulders, or upper back
  • Difficulty concentration
  • Poor memory
  • Poor quality of sleep
  • Irritability

You may have a more serious form of whiplash if you’re of an older age, had whiplash before, have existing back or neck pain, and/or suffered the injury in a high-speed accident.

What Happens If You Suffered a Whiplash Injury in an Accident

If you were in a traffic accident and sustained whiplash as a result, you may qualify to file an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit for compensation. This compensation can account for the medical expenses you incur from visiting Naples Community Injury Center for treatment. Keep in mind, though, that you must have evidence to back up your claims that the other party acted negligently and must cover your damages. Our physicians can help with that and supply you with evidence, such as:

  • Documentation of all of your appointments at our office
  • A written diagnosis of your whiplash and your prognosis
  • A list of all the treatments we administered
  • An analysis of how well you responded to the whiplash treatment
  • Bills and invoices for co-pays, equipment, and medications
  • Our expert medical testimony describing your condition

We can give all this information to your attorney when they present your case to the other party’s insurance company or a judge or jury. If you don’t have an attorney but are interested in hiring one, we work with different law firms in South Florida, and we can refer you to one of them.

Call Our Practice Today to Learn More About the Whiplash Treatments We Offer

If you suffer from whiplash, our physicians can tailor a treatment plan that addresses your specific needs. Call Naples Community Injury Center today at (239) 631-5445 to schedule an appointment with our team.