What is Whiplash?
Whiplash is a type of neck injury caused by a sudden distortion or back-and-forth deceleration affecting the neck and head carriage. An abrupt impact event (i.e. a car accident) can result in the head and/or neck being ‘whipped’ forward, leading to painful trauma to the head, neck, spine, and the surrounding nerves, discs, and tendons.
Whiplash Signs and Symptoms
Unfortunately, whiplash remains a poorly understood condition. As there are rarely visible signs or symptoms, individuals who have experienced whiplash are often dismissed by doctors or simply prescribed pain medication to help manage their discomfort.
In addition to muscle pain and minor mobility issues, people with whiplash may also experience fatigue, depression, anxiety, insomnia, headaches, and concentration issues. If you have recently been in an accident or suffered a trauma event, keep an eye out for these symptoms and consider speaking with a licensed upper cervical chiropractor.
How the Upper Cervical Spine Affects Whiplash
The upper cervical spine plays a key role during and after whiplash incidents. Put simply, trauma to the neck and head is a major source of upper cervical vertebral misalignments. Without correction, upper cervical misalignments will impede trauma recovery, causing muscle strain and soreness in the back, shoulders, and neck. Particularly severe cases of whiplash may even lead to atlas subluxation complex, a structural misalignment in the vertebral column that has been linked to a wide range of secondary neurological and musculoskeletal symptoms.
How Our Whiplash Treatment Works
At Upper Spine Knoxville, we’re focused on solving the cause of your whiplash. To do so, our well-trained chiropractic team will need to perform a brief physical assessment to determine whether you’re suffering from an upper cervical misalignment. Afterward, we’ll take an advanced 3D imaging of your upper cervical spine. This scan is essential for treating whiplash, as it will allow us to pinpoint the exact location, angle, and severity of any misalignments in the upper cervical spine.
Using these scans, your chiropractor can formulate a treatment plan to correct and realign your upper spine. This includes a series of specific spinal corrections. Don’t worry, upper cervical chiropractic care isn’t like traditional chiropractic treatment, so you won’t be subjected to any pulling or painful techniques. While it may take a few treatments to fully correct the issue, you’ll likely begin seeing improvements in whiplash symptoms after your first booking.
If whiplash is getting in the way of your day-to-day activities, contact Upper Spine Knoxville for an appointment. Dr. Shamloo services patients in Knoxville, Alcoa, Maryville, Farragut, Clinton, Oak Ridge, Sevierville, Lenoir City, Karns, Hardin Valley, Powell, Halls and Fountain City in Tennessee and the surrounding areas.