WHIPLASH
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WHAT IS WHIPLASH? |
Whiplash is most commonly associated with rear-end
car collisions in which the heads of those in the
front car are suddenly snapped back and forth by
the impact. It is more accurately called cervical
acceleration/deceleration (CAD) trauma or syndrome,
which describes the rapid movements that can injure
the vertebrae of the neck and the muscles and
ligaments that support them.
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WHO SUFFERS FROM
WHIPLASH? |
Anyone can be subjected to whiplash, even in a low-
force car crash at speeds as low as 5mph. But injuries
associated with whiplash can also result from other
mishaps in which the head is pushed or jerked beyond
its normal range of motion. Whiplash most commonly
causes serious and lingering neck pain, but there may
also be back pain, headaches and dizziness. Inasmuch as
bruising of the brain can sometimes occur in auto
accidents and similarly severe causes of whiplash, some
victims have experienced blurred vision, ringing in the
ears, nausea and numbness.
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WHAT CAN CHIROPRACTIC
DO? |
The sudden accident that caused the whiplash in the first
place may fade into memory, but the physical and psycho-
logical damage of whiplash can become chronic, eroding a
victim's quality of life.
Chiropractic techniques and chiropractors' skills are
particularly well-suited to relieving the neck pain and
other debilitating effects of whiplash because they can
- restore movement lost after the accident
- overcome muscle weakness and enhance muscle tone
- speed recovery
- diminish chronic symptoms that can persist or recur over many years
Repeated and effective chiropractic adjustments have
proved successful for many thousands of patients.
Chiropractic can, in many cases, significantly reduce
patients' distress and allow them to return to their
normal activities rather than seeing themselves as
invalids -- as so many whiplash victims do long after
their accident.
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