Whiplash recovery, symptoms, and risks for women

Whiplash injuries of the head and neck are relatively common results of car accidents, but that doesn’t make them easy to deal with. The back and forth movement of the head can be quick and much like a whip, leading to trauma of the neck and head. But surely there are ways to have a smoother whiplash recovery and get pain relief? Here are tips to help you cope with this debilitating condition.

If whiplash happens to you

Many people assume the only way to get type of injury is through a car accident. But that’s not the case.

Whiplash can result from sports accidents, falling, physical abuse, and other types of traumatic events. If it is a car accident, being rear-ended by another vehicle can cause the sudden motion of being thrown back and then forward, which is characteristic of whiplash.

While you might assume all drivers are as alert as you are, unfortunately, that is not always the case. Some drivers are tired, others are distracted by passengers, and, sadly, some text and drive despite laws against it.

If you are in Marietta, for example, you know that it’s a busy place for residents and tourists. The hustle and bustle in and around the city means heavy traffic on the roads sometimes. That makes whiplash injuries common there, unfortunately. You can find the best Whiplash care in Marietta at the time of a mishap. A quality Marietta pain clinic will address your issues and customize your treatment plan.

What is whiplash?

Neck strains are also called whiplash injury, but they are somewhat different. Whiplash injuries are brought about by harm to the muscle or the ligaments, which are groups of tissue that associate muscles to bones. Neck sprains, on the other hand, occur due to the tearing of tendons, which are the tissues that interface the bones to each other.

How do you know it’s a whiplash injury?

The pain that comes with a whiplash injury can be excruciating, making it is very hard to ignore. Here are some symptoms to look for to be sure it’s a whiplash injury:

• Muscles in the neck begin to feel knotted and the neck feels tightened due to it
• Pain begins to extend as you move your neck forward or backward
• It becomes almost impossible to look over one or both shoulders
• Tenderness along the neck and decreased motion
• Head begins to become heavy at the top; headaches emerge from the top of the skull and move forward to the forehead

Whiplash injury pain can start immediately when the tear takes place. But for other people, it take days before the neck starts to hurt. In either case a Marietta pain clinic or another local clinic is going to be important to visit for whiplash recovery.

Why is whiplash a greater threat to women?

For quite a long time, scientists hypothesized why females are more liable to experience the ill effects of persistent whiplash torment than men. A study from Washington State University proposes that it’s the fundamental anatomy of the female neck that puts ladies in danger.

Both men and woman were research subjects in this study, and the scientists found out that:

• There was little contrast among both genders in neck length, yet there was an enormous distinction among them concerning neck width. As anyone might expect, the men’s necks were about 15% bigger than the ladies necks.
• That meant a gigantic contrast in neck toughness. Men had 31% more inflection than ladies

• Also, women’s vertebrae were found to be a lot smaller than those of men

Furthermore, women drivers are approximately three times likely than male drivers to suffer neck injuries in a rear-end collision. Why? Their sitting position, according to research at Sweden’s Umea University.

Specifically, women adjust their seats differently than men, on average. Females tend to sit higher and closer to the steering wheel than men, who have more distance between the neck support and back of the head of the seat. Thus, men have more head support when driving than women, according to those Swedish researchers.

How to cope with whiplash recovery

For many people, whiplash brings about gentle tendon injuries and additionally muscle strains that improve within a couple of days or weeks. Sometimes, though, the side effects can last a month or more.

Steps to take for whiplash injury recovery

There are two basic steps to keep in mind if this trauma happens to you for whiplash pain relief:

1. Self-care
2. Get medical attention

1. Self-care:

Ice or heat your neck

In case of an emergency like this, act on it by keeping these safety tips in your mind. At the time of the incident, get an ice pack to ice your neck, or heat it later using a hot water bottle.

Why? Hot and cold treatment are frequently prescribed to help alleviate a hurting torment that outcomes from muscle or joint harm like whiplash. It can temporarily close some small blood vessels and keep the swelling from getting worse.

Massage therapy for whiplash recovery

Ask someone to massage your neck with soft yet firm hands. Whiplash injuries mostly affect the frontal area muscles of the neck hence while massaging gets the back off the neck and both shoulder sides. Also, try to tilt your neck to either side or massage the area beneath the earlobe till the shoulders. Whilst the therapy goes on, try and rotate your neck now and then at a 360 angle.

Isometric-stretching for whiplash pain relief

Not a lot of people know that physical therapists recommend a basic recovering strategy for those who are effected by whiplash. It is a technique used a couple of weeks later to the whiplash injury, if you do it right away you would end up in a lot of pain if it’s too soon.

In isometric stretching, you stretch your muscles without actually moving. You put your hand on your forehead and put pressure to push it back while gathering strength in your neck to not let it fall back.

Thus, without moving, you stretch your muscles. To understand better you can watch videos on the technique in addition to following your PT’s guidance.

Get a neck pillow or neck brace

If necessary, get a neck brace. It can add support to your neck. But, try not to use it for long as it can weaken your neck muscles.

Rest up for whiplash recovery

Last on the self-care tips list for whiplash recover, get a lot of rest. Give your body the time to heal, thereby preventing the injury from getting worse.

2. Medical care for whiplash pain relief:

See a physiotherapist

Contact a physiotherapist and schedule an appointment to talk about a routine exercise plan. What they suggest will depend on the severerity your injury. The course of treatment for whiplash patients can be wide-ranging; it typically depends on the seriousness of the beginning symptoms.

Pain killers

Whiplash comes with a lot of pain. Thus, to cope better, ask your doctor whether you can benefit from a prescription for anti-inflammatory drugs. The pills can soothe the pain, if necessary, for a short time.

Alternate care for whiplash recovery

You can contact your physician and get referred to alternate whiplash care in Marietta, such as a Marietta pain clinic. For example, chiropractic treatment might be right for you.

Conclusion on whiplash recovery

Whiplash as not an injury to take lightly, and it can affect women differently than men, according to research. Instead, consider treatment until the pain gets better and there are no more symptoms.