Headaches are pretty common after a car accident because of how the stress of the accident affects you physically and mentally. But how do you know if your headache is something more, like a sign of whiplash? Sometimes symptoms of car accident injuries can take a few hours or even days to show up as your body reacts to the traumatic experience. That’s why it is so important to see a doctor as soon as you can after a car accident. A whiplash chiropractor can assess you for injuries and determine if your headaches are a sign of something more serious.
Understanding Whiplash Headaches
There are health risks involved with not treating whiplash. When you’re in a car accident, the seat belts in your car are designed to hold you in place from your chest down and prevent you from being ejected from the vehicle. However, your seatbelt can’t restrain your head and neck from getting jostled around in the accident. Car accidents, especially rear-end collisions, can cause your head and neck to be flung violently forward and back, which puts a serious strain on your spine and neck muscles. When your neck muscles are suddenly stretched and forced out of their normal range of motion you can experience pain, tenderness, and difficulty turning your head back and forth.
Tenderness, swelling, and pain in your neck caused by whiplash can lead to painful headaches. Whiplash headaches are generally caused by injuries in your spine, muscles, and tendons due to the car accident. Whiplash headaches alone may motivate you to seek out a whiplash chiropractor for lasting relief. These types of headaches are commonly localized along the back of the head, though they may also affect your entire head and remind you of a sinus headache or migraine. While you might be tempted to wait out a headache to see if it goes away, headaches are often a sign that something else is going on and it’s worth getting checked out by a professional.
Other Symptoms of Whiplash
A headache might be the first symptom you notice, but if you have whiplash then it is likely that you might develop other symptoms as well. Swollen, aggravated muscles may put pressure on nearby nerves and soft tissues, negatively affecting their functioning. The vertebrae in your spine may become misaligned from the force of the accident, which can disrupt your brain’s ability to effectively send messages through your spine and to the rest of your body. The soft, spongy discs that normally separate your vertebrae and absorb shock may become dislodged and put undue pressure on nearby nerves, causing headaches and other symptoms.
Diagnosing Whiplash
Whiplash is actually tricky to diagnose because there isn’t one specific test or identifying factor to determine if you have this type of car accident injury. However, your doctor will likely use a combination of your reported symptoms, a physical examination, and diagnostic imaging tools to determine a diagnosis. While there isn’t one specific whiplash factor to look for in an X-ray or MRI, your doctor may want to rule out other injuries like a spinal fracture or herniated disc. Clearly reporting your symptoms will help your doctor diagnose whiplash, so it helps to describe the specific locations where you are experiencing pain and discomfort, the severity, and how long it has lasted.
Whiplash Treatment Options
If your doctor determines you have a mild case of whiplash then you may be able to rest and utilize safe and effective whiplash headache treatments from home. This may include a combination of mild pain medications, cold and warm compresses, and gentle stretches. Pain medications may provide short-term relief for the pain symptoms, but alternating cold and hot therapies will help to reduce swelling and improve blood flow to the area. Gentle stretches will help you slowly regain your full range of motion in your neck again. Most importantly, taking the time to rest and take care of yourself is vital to the healing and recovery process.
For more moderate to severe cases of whiplash headaches, whiplash chiropractors can provide you with natural, conservative approaches to providing both short-term and long-term relief through pain management and by addressing the root cause of the injury. Your whiplash chiropractor will want to address your symptoms as well as the injured area itself so you can experience lasting relief. Gentle chiropractic adjustments will help resolve any spinal misalignments and therapeutic massage and stretches will help restore blood flow and function to the area.
Visit AICA Orthopedics in Tucker to meet with a whiplash chiropractor and start experiencing true healing and recovery from your car accident injuries.