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5 Best Exercises To Treat Whiplash At Home - Advance Physical Therapy

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  • 5 Best Exercises To Treat Whiplash At Home
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What is the fastest and easiest cure for whiplash ?
The internet is rife with articles suggesting that Whiplash Associated Disorders (WAD) can be treated with a set of exercise routines. You may also find abundant unscientific literature on the internet stating that doing neck stretches, chin tucks, back twists, head rotations, or using bands will cure your whiplash. However, we mustn’t fall prey to such misleading information.
What is Whiplash ?
Whiplash is a force, strong enough to create stress and strain injuries to several different cervical spine tissues. Whiplash Associated Disorder (WAD) encompasses the collective symptoms that affect the head and neck after a Whiplash injury.
Whiplash injuries, which result from car accidents, sports injuries, and diving accidents, do not have a one-size-fits-all remedy. The severity and nature of the injury can vary significantly, depending on the direction of the force applied, the position of the person, and the subsequent impact on the cervical spine tissues. No 5 exercises unfortunately exist that can cure this injury to your neck. Time elapsed since the injury is also a critical factor to consider (1).
WAD is classified into four distinct grades based on the presence and nature of symptoms, physical signs, and neurological signs.
  • Grade 0 refers to no neck complaints or physical signs, while
  • Grade I and Grade II relate to neck complaints and musculoskeletal signs.
  • Grade III and Grade IV are characterized by the presence of neurological signs and fractures or dislocations, respectively.
Simply put different parts of your spine can be affected differently depending on the direction of the force that hits you. A collision happening from the rear end, a side impact, or a head-on collision will produce different mechanisms of injury. We must also take into consideration how your body reacted to that force, whether you braced yourself, your head hit the windshield, impact from the airbags, twisting of your spine, etc., and your position as a driver or rider. Your body will go through a tremendous impact in just a few seconds, which is why each patient will have an extremely different presentation and severity.

Simply put different parts of your spine can be affected differently depending on the direction of the force that hits you. A collision happening from the rear end, a side impact, or a head-on collision will produce different mechanisms of injury. We must also take into consideration how your body reacted to that force, whether you braced yourself, your head hit the windshield, impact from the airbags, twisting of your spine, etc., and your position as a driver or rider. Your body will go through a tremendous impact in just a few seconds, which is why each patient will have an extremely different presentation and severity.

Given the diversity of symptoms and their extent, it is essential to approach WAD with a customized treatment plan rather than a one-size-fits-all model

It is important to note that the majority of patients with WAD exhibit symptoms beyond the cervical spine.

As such, a detailed evaluation by a trained physical therapist or physician is highly recommended. Inappropriate treatment of WAD can result in chronic neck pain, headaches, and other long-term complications. Thus, a comprehensive treatment protocol should be followed, which includes a combination of rehabilitation treatments such as hands-on manual therapy, posture awareness, coordination, proprioceptive interventions, manual traction, anti-inflammatory modalities, and soft tissue techniques.

In summary, while the internet may offer several quick-fix solutions to WAD, it is critical to recognize the complexity and diversity of the injury and approach it with a customized treatment plan. A thorough evaluation by a trained physical therapist or physician is recommended, and a comprehensive treatment protocol must be followed to ensure successful rehabilitation and minimize long-term complication.

References:

1) Chrcanovic, Bruno, Larsson, Johan, Malmström, Eva-Maj, Westergren, Hans and Häggman-Henrikson, Birgitta. “Exercise therapy for whiplash-associated disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis” Scandinavian Journal of Pain, vol. 22, no. 2, 2022, pp. 232-261. https://doi.org/10.1515/sjpain-2021-0064

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