Whiplash is an injury that occurs when a person’s head is abruptly jerked forwards or backwards, and it can cause intense pain, stiffness, tenderness, and decreased movement. Most commonly, it occurs because of a car wreck, sports accident, or other form of trauma. The good news is that, for most whiplash sufferers, the pain and stiffness of the injury significantly decreases within one month after the accident occurs. Unfortunately, there are still some individuals who continue to experience whiplash symptoms for months or years following the accident.
Predicting Long-Term Symptoms
Pain researchers at Aarhus University in Denmark claim that they can predict and identify those people who are at a higher risk of having prolonged pain. Those who have the highest risk are the individuals who suffer from reduced neck movement and severe pain and stiffness immediately following the accident. 75% of people in the Danish study who experienced decreased movement in the neck still had not fully recovered one year later.
Idenfitying Long-Term Symptoms
Symptoms of long-term, or chronic, whiplash include the initial pain and stiffness, but there are some other, lesser-known symptoms you may experience as well. Those include persistent headaches, dizziness, pins and needles in your arms and hands, and psychological problems, such as anxiety or depression. Physiotherapy, which uses a variety of physical techniques to assist in restoring movement to the neck, can help ease some of these symptoms.
Treating Long-Term Symptoms
There is no cure for chronic whiplash, but there are some steps you can take yourself to decrease the pain. Doctors used to advise patients to keep their neck immobile for long periods of time so the injury would have time to heal, but now they actually advise against doing that. Not allowing your neck to move will weaken its muscles, so it’s better to practice gentle exercises to keep your neck muscles strong. You can also take over-the-counter or prescription painkillers, or participate in yoga or acupuncture to decrease the severity of your symptoms.
Having chronic whiplash can make it difficult for you to drive a car since you will likely not be able to turn your head as quickly as necessary. It can also make daily activities more painful and tiresome, such as sitting in front of computer. You can make some of these activities more bearable by always maintaining good, upright posture, using a firm, supportive pillow at nighttime, and performing gentle, controlled exercises to improve your strength and flexibility.
