What is a Neck Strain
A neck strain is what is commonly known as whiplash, and it occurs when there is damage to the neck muscles or tendons. It can be can be caused by a collision from behind at only five MPH that causes your head to jerk forward and then backward.
That means that it is possible for a person to experience whiplash without even being in a vehicle. That’s right! It can result from a sports related injury, a fall, or anything else that causes the neck muscles to extend beyond their normal range of motion.
So, the chances that you will experience whiplash at sometime in your life are pretty high, but that doesn’t mean you need to live in pain. You can take steps to reduce and eliminate the effects of this injury. Below are some crucial steps you should take to make sure this injury doesn’t take control of your life:
Healing from Whiplash
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Ice – Icing for 20 minutes every three to four hours for the first two or three days will reduce the pain and swelling in your neck. Make sure you wrap the ice pack in a paper towel to prevent frost bite
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Moist Heat – You should only do this after the two or three day period of icing. The purpose for this is that the ice helps reduce the swelling, and the heat restores the blood flow.
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Upper Cervical Chiropractic – Your neck injury, if left untreated, could lead to further complications. It is important that an upper cervical specialist examine your upper neck vertebrae as these are the most susceptible to injury
To learn more about upper cervical and headaches including migraines download our free e-book below.
Your Upper Neck Vertebrae and Whiplash
While all three of these steps are very important to your health and well being after you experience whiplash, it is important that you not rely only on ice and heat. It may even be tempting to take a little sympathy on yourself and just apply heat to the injury. Applying heat too soon, or only applying heat, will make the injury worse. An upper cervical chiropractor will examine your upper neck vertebrae and address the underlying cause of your whiplash.
To schedule an upper cervical evaluation to see if you can find relief from your headaches in Apex simply click the button below.