Many people will be involved in what they think is a small car accident; 20 miles per hour hit from behind, a couple thousand dollars of damage to the car and some neck pain and headaches for a few day.  They will then wait and hope the pain goes away while they deal with the stress of the at fault insurance calling them, their insurance calling them and going to different auto repair shops. By the time the car is fixed and the insurance stops nagging it can be three or four weeks after the accident until they realize that they are still in pain.  Unfortunately this is the time many people seek out chiropractic care for the neck pain and headaches from the whiplash type injury.

The problem with waiting is the muscles of the neck will become tighter and tighter and you will loose range of motion.  Also the strained joints of the neck and upper back will become stiffer and stiffer and you will loose range of motion of these joints as well.  With the decreased range of motion you will have more pain and more headaches.  Another problem with waiting is the small muscles of the neck (cervical spine) that hold your head up will become deactivated and stop working.  This will make the large muscles of the cervical and thoracic spine over work and do a job they are not designed to do. This will create muscle fatigue which will lead to back pain, headaches and a forward head lean.

The forward head lean is what you see when you are watching people at the mall.  Those people that walk around with the head two inches in front of the shoulders.  This will create the hump in the upper back that you see in old people.  Oddly, many patients will come in the office and be more concerned about not getting the hump in the upper back like their grandma than they are about the chronic neck pain and headaches from the car accident.

So if you do not want the hump in the upper back, headaches, neck pain and other symptoms from a whiplash (like low back pain, shoulder pain, depression and mid back pain) see a chiropractor soon after your whiplash type injury.  If you come into this office I will do an exam on the injured areas, maybe shot X-rays if you need them and then let you know what is causing your pain.  Then I will suggest a treatment plan that will most likely involve you doing home exercises and stretches for your whiplash type injury.  Sadly it is very difficult to fully recover from a car accident without home exercise and stretching.

Please give Advanced Chiropractic a call at 425/353/7246 and make an appointment soon. I am located in Everett (98204) very close to Boeing and I5.

Post on