Motor vehicle accidents, sports injuries, work injuries, and falls are a few causes of whiplash. It is a condition that affects over 1.5 million individuals. It can cause serious side effects that can last for months and sometimes years. If not treated, the symptoms can worsen and lead to chronic conditions and pain.  

Mild Whiplash

Mild whiplash can last around three months. During this time, individuals might notice other symptoms other than neck pain that include:

• Dizziness
• Headaches
• Tinnitus
• Insomnia
• Concentration problems

In certain cases, these symptoms happen immediately or can be delayed.  

Severe Whiplash

Severe whiplash means symptoms last longer than three months. The side effects can progressively go away or may not disappear at all. Severe whiplash falls in the whiplash classification of three to four. This indicates that there is a

• Loss of motion
• Neurological problems
• Fracture(s)

 

Taking Time Off Work

Taking time off work for a whiplash injury depends on how severe the condition is. For mild symptoms, it is recommended that individuals take about a month off to fully recover.  If the condition is extreme, it could take a few years. For some individuals, the injury prevents them from working, and they have to leave their jobs.  

Tinnitus

Some individuals develop tinnitus after a whiplash injury. This condition results from the jolted ligaments and can irritate the surrounding nerves, causing an irritating ringing noise in the ears. How long tinnitus lasts depends on the severity of the injury. It can present occasionally or remain for several months or even years.  

Recovery Time

For most individuals, a full recovery takes 4-6 weeks. This time could last longer if the injury is not healed properly.

 

Pain After Six Months

Chronic whiplash can present shooting pain throughout the body and prevent individuals from living a normal life. Chiropractic and physical therapy are highly recommended for chronic conditions. Treatment could be difficult at first, but improvements will follow if the individual stays consistent with the treatment to heal the injury completely.  

Treatment Options

 

Rest

The first recommendation is to rest the body. This gives the body time to recover and also prevents the injury from worsening. Ice packs and heating pads can help reduce swelling and pain.  

Chiropractic

Chiropractors are experts in the musculoskeletal system. They inspect the whole body, looking and feeling for misalignments, knotted muscles, swollen tendons, and ligaments stretched/pulled beyond their normal range. Various types of adjustments can be used. The most common are flexion-distraction and instrument-assisted.

• Flexion-distraction adjusting requires the chiropractor’s hands. They feel around the problem area and press their hands to slide the joint back.
• Instrument-Assisted—This technique utilizes a special tool, like an activator. The device helps the chiropractor delve deeper into the area than their hands, locating problems that could be hidden.

Anti-Inflammatory Diet

Adding more anti-inflammatory foods to the diet reduces inflammation and swelling. Some of these foods include:

• Avocados
• Blueberries
• Mushrooms
• Olive oil
• Salmon
• Strawberries
• Turmeric

Vitamins

A full recovery can take longer if the body lacks essential nutrients. These nutrients help the body create enzymes that repair the damaged tissues, bones, tendons, etc. If the body does not have enough, it will not heal properly. Essential vitamins to take for injuries include:

• B-vitamins
• Magnesium
• Vitamin D
• Zinc

These can be taken in supplement form or through food sources.

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Body Composition

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Muscle Loss

The body loses muscle every minute of life. This is because muscles, like the other tissues in the body, depend on cell turnover and protein synthesis. This means that the body continually breaks down the protein in the muscles and rebuilds it. This is how the body is supposed to function and part of what keeps it alive. Skeletal muscle can be grown and developed with proper nutrition. This includes eating sufficient protein and regular physical activity to provide the necessary amino acids.

The reverse is also true: when an individual becomes less physically active and their diet no longer supports the development of increased muscle tissue, the body enters a catabolic/tissue-reducing state known as muscle atrophy.  Muscles that are partially used, meaning using less than 20% of their maximum force, begin to atrophy over time. Muscles that are completely unused, like when bedridden with very little movement, can degrade around 1/8th of strength per week.  

 

References

Pastakia, Khushnum, and Saravana Kumar. Acute whiplash-associated disorders (WAD). Open access emergency medicine: OAEM vol. 3, 29-32. 27 Apr. 2011, doi:10.2147/OAEM.S17853

Is Whiplash Serious: Open Access Emergency Medicine. (2011) Acute Whiplash Associated Disorders. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4753964/

How the Neck Works: UpToDate. (2020) Patient education: Neck pain (Beyond the Basics).www.uptodate.com/contents/neck-pain-beyond-the-basics