Whiplash can cause side effects after an injury
Whiplash results from a person’s head suddenly moving backward and forward with a large amount of force. This is an injury that is generally seen after a Charlotte NC rear-end collision, and it can also happen after sports injuries, physical abuse, or after a ride at the amusement park.
Whiplash occurs when soft tissues, such as your muscles and ligaments, in your neck are overextending beyond their natural range of motion. Symptoms after a whiplash injury may not appear for a while, which is why it is crucial to pay attention to any physical changes that may occur a few days after an accident.
Whiplash is considered to be a fairly mild condition, but it can cause some long-term side effects and discomfort.
Side effects of untreated whiplash
Whiplash that is left untreated can lead to severe health conditions and long-term pain. Overextended or torn tendons and muscles in your neck can limit your range of motion, placing stress and pressure on your shoulders, neck, spine, and head.
Additionally, whiplash can cause other, more severe conditions such as:
Chronic pain: Untreated whiplash can result in an increased risk for chronic soreness and discomfort long after your accident. Stressed or torn ligaments and muscles in your neck require careful treatment and can take some time to repair correctly. You can make matters worse by over-exerting these ligaments and muscles, resulting in chronic soreness, pain, and increased difficulty performing regular movements and tasks.
Mobility issues: Stiffness and pain from a whiplash or neck injury can cause you to lose some mobility that can prevent you from performing your regular duties or everyday daily tasks. Swelling and inflammation in your upper back, neck, and head muscles can make it harder to move those areas or fully crane or turn your head or neck. When left untreated, neck pain can cause secondary conditions such as migraines, headaches, and shoulder pain that begin to radiate throughout other areas of your body.
Vertigo: Vertigo is a condition that occurs when you feel as if you are spinning or falling while in a still environment, and in many cases, you may also feel faint or dizzy. Not only will vertigo make you feel sick or queasy, but it can also result in you losing your balance and falling.
Headaches: Headaches are common after a whiplash injury, causing pain that radiates from your forehead and sides or back of your head to your neck. Pain that occurs at the base of your skull or radiating pain and chronic headaches can flare up immediately the following whiplash or in the days or weeks after the injury and can become worse without treatment.
Whiplash in Charlotte, NC: Find the top chiropractor
If you have endured a whiplash injury, you may feel better a few weeks later and not feel any effects after an accident. However, you may continue to have pain for months or even years after your injury. It is hard to predict how you may recover after an injury. Typically, you are more likely to have chronic pain if your initial symptoms were intense and started quickly.
ChiroCarolina®, one of Charlotte’s premier chiropractic clinics, is known throughout the Southeast for providing the best chiropractic care in the Uptown Charlotte, NoDa, and UNCC college areas, conveniently located on North Tryon Street. Trust ChiroCarolina® in Charlotte: visited by patients throughout the south: North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, and Texas.
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