One of the most common injuries following a car accident is whiplash. Whiplash is caused by your body going forward and backward quickly when your vehicle is hit with force and comes to a quick stop. To recover properly from whiplash, you need to understand what it is, why it happens, and what you can do to heal your body. 

How Whiplash Occurs

When you are in a car accident, you are generally going from a state of motion to a state of non-motion in a very quick and fast period of time, which causes your body to jerk forward and backward. 

When that happens, your lower cervical spine, for a split second, will extend backwards against your upper spine, as your upper spine moves forward. The natural C-shape of your spine will be impacted, with the result being your lower and upper cervical spine forced out of place. When your lower and upper cervical spine are forced out of place, your cervical disc can also out of place, as can your ligaments. 

What Is Whiplash?

Whiplash is one of the most common injuries following a car accident. One can suffer whiplash no matter how fast your vehicle was going, or how severe or mild the accident was. The jerking of your head when you are in a car accident can cause the discs in your neck to get out of place, which then leads to whiplash. 

There is a wide range of symptoms that will let you know that your body is experiencing whiplash. You may get headaches at the base of your skull. Your shoulders and upper back may experience pain. Your arms may feel a little number and tingly. You may experience muscle spasms in your neck, back, and arms. You may also have difficulty concentrating. Whiplash can cause you to develop a wide range of symptoms, none of which are good for your body, which is why you need to make sure you get it treated. 

Taking Care of Whiplash

After you have been in a car accident, you should get an x-ray to confirm your whiplash. Then, you are going to need to start the recovery process. You are going to want to start by icing your neck as soon as you can after the accident to reduce inflammation and injury. You should also take some over-the-counter pain killers. It can be a good idea to wear a neck brace or collar to support your neck for the short-term to promote healing; a neck brace should not be worn long-term as it can quickly cause your neck muscles to lose their strength. 

From there, you should work with your chiropractor. They can help adjust your spine, and over multiple treatments, get your neck and spine back where it should be. They can help relax the muscles around your neck and back, helping to promote healing using massage techniques. They can also provide a variety of different heat therapy treatments to relax your muscles and promote healing. They can even work with you on physical therapy exercises that will help get your neck back to where it should be. 

After a car accident, if you suspect that you have whiplash, get your neck x-rays, ice it up, and start working with your chiropractor towards healing. To learn more, contact a company like Davison Chiropractic.