Neck Strain and Whiplash: Causes and Symptoms at Chiropractic of Bellevue

At Chiropractic of Bellevue, one of the most common reasons our patient's visit is because of neck pain. If you are suffering from any type of neck pain, it’s important to seek out medical care. More so, you’ll want to ensure you get treatment that focuses on improving the underlying cause of your pain. When you visit your Bellevue chiropractor in our office, we can do that for you.

What Causes Neck Strain and Whiplash?

Neck strain occurs when the cervical spinal column, the area of the spinal column in your neck, becomes inflamed. This can happen for a variety of reasons. Most commonly, it occurs when the neck is jarred forward and backward in a fast, forceful manner. When this happens, it can cause the joints, muscles, and tendons in the area to be strained beyond the normal range. This leads to significant pain.

This type of neck pain is called whiplash. A whiplash injury can occur from a variety of incidents, but most commonly is associated with:

• Car accidents, especially rear-end collisions
• Sports injuries
• Some types of falls
• Any type of physical altercation that involves hitting of the head or neck

If you’ve been involved in any type of incident like this, it is important to seek out the help of your chiropractor.

What Are the Symptoms of a Whiplash Injury?

A whiplash injury doesn’t always present itself immediately. Many times, patients will feel fine after an accident. They can move, go to school, or go to work the next day. However, within a day or so, the injury begins to worsen. It can cause pain and soreness that doesn’t seem to go away. Taking over-the-counter pain medications will only limit the symptoms for a few hours. The pain, though, will continue long term without care.

The most common symptoms attributed to whiplash include:

• Neck stiffness or pain
• Loss of range of motion in the neck
• Pain that gets worse when the neck is moved
• Tenderness or pain in the upper back, arms, or shoulder, sometimes on just one side
• Headaches especially those that seem to be in the back of the head
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Tingling sensation in the arms or fingers

There are also instances in which the pain can become severe. If the condition is severe, it’s important to get medical care immediately. You may develop:

• Trouble sleeping
• Blurred vision
• Irritability or moodiness
• Trouble concentrating
• Depression
• Ringing in the ears

If these symptoms are present, patients should seek out the help of a medical doctor for any lacerations and bruising. Then, seeking out a chiropractor becomes essential.

How Can a Chiropractor Help with Neck Strain?

When neck strain occurs, pain medications can help soothe the initial discomfort, but they will not help the underlying cause of that pain. This type of impact nearly always results in damage to the spinal column’s alignment. This will continue to cause you pain until it is fixed. Properly aligning the spinal column to get rid of pressure and pinching of the nerves can help you to improve range of motion, pain, and overall quality of life.

To provide you with pain relief, we’ll incorporate the use of spinal adjustments. This is a process of applying gentle force to the spinal column in the proper method to reduce the pressure and misalignment. We may also recommend additional treatments and care including massage therapy, corrective exercises, and other holistic treatment.

Schedule a Consultation with Your Bellevue Chiropractor Today

If you are suffering from whiplash injury or any type of neck pain, seek out your Bellevue Chiropractor today. At Chiropractic of Bellevue, we provide state-of-the-art treatment and care for this complex condition. Call us today for an appointment: 425-802-5432.