A whiplash is a neck injury caused by a sudden back and forth movement of your head and neck like the cracking of a whip. Whiplash is mainly caused by trauma such as car accidents, falls or sports injury. Typically, at first there are no symptoms of whiplash but they will start to emerge within 2-3 days. Symptoms of whiplash may include neck and shoulder pain and stiffness, dizziness, headaches (mainly at the base of your skull) and tiredness. Whiplash can normally be treated by doing minimal movement to rest damaged tissue for the first 24 hours.
To ensure your neck doesn’t stiffen up, do slow neck movements every 30-40 minutes. Using a mix of ice and heat treatments should also help to relieve the pain and speed the recovery process. However sometimes this is not adequate, and you may need help from a physiotherapist.
What will happen at my first appointment?
Firstly, your physiotherapist will assess the severity of your condition and then determine your individualised treatment plan. Treatment will help to provide some pain relief and improve the range of motion of your neck. It could include:
- Manipulation and mobilisation – Manual techniques to physically improve range of movement in your neck and shoulders
- Postural realignment – Involves a postural assessment and exercises to help improve your posture and relieve pain whilst loosening stiff joints
- Massage – Target inflamed areas to provide pain relief and loosen up joints
- Stretches – Decrease tension and stiffness in shoulder and neck muscles
Neck range of movement exercises to complete if you have whiplash:
If you feel that physiotherapy can help you overcome and manage your whiplash, please contact Home Physio Group on 0330 335 1016 to talk to our team, or alternatively, please use the contact form on the website and we will reach out to you.