October 31, 2018
Hello and thanks for looking at this blog. My name is Dr. Greg Beasley and I have been a chiropractor for 20 years, 13 of those here in Everett. Due to our location and a lot of traffic I tend to see a lot of patients who have been in a whiplash type accident. If you have been in a whiplash type injury, here are some thoughts that may help you heal:
You will go through three stages of healing: First the acute inflammatory stage which last from injury to about 72 hours. Over this time your pain will increase as the inflammation increases. Control the pain with ice. Stay active and rest for only short periods of time. Laying on your back with a rolled up towel under your neck is the best position to rest. Only for about 5 min.
Second phase is the repair stage. This goes from the 72 hours to about 6 weeks. This is when the body will begin to lay down scar tissue. Active care is very important in this stage. Letting the injured tissues rest at this time will increase scar tissue and lead to a loss of range of motion. Chiropractic care and massage therapy along with home stretching and exercise are very important in this stage. Also the proper use of heat followed by ice is important. Do not use heat alone or you will prolong the inflammation and increase tissue damage.
The third stage is remodeling stage. Depending on your severity of whiplash this can take up to a year. This is when the body lays down more collagen to reinforce the injured tissue. Again active care is so important here, including your home therapy. Exercise will help the tissue gain strength so you will have less chance of future injury to the area.
If you have been in a whiplash type injury and are having headaches, neck pain, upper back pain, low back pain or shoulder pain give us a call. I would look forward to the opportunity to help you recover from your injuries. So often I will get patients in the office who had a whiplash years ago and still relate their pain today to that injury. Proper early care can decrease your chance of that happening.
You will go through three stages of healing: First the acute inflammatory stage which last from injury to about 72 hours. Over this time your pain will increase as the inflammation increases. Control the pain with ice. Stay active and rest for only short periods of time. Laying on your back with a rolled up towel under your neck is the best position to rest. Only for about 5 min.
Second phase is the repair stage. This goes from the 72 hours to about 6 weeks. This is when the body will begin to lay down scar tissue. Active care is very important in this stage. Letting the injured tissues rest at this time will increase scar tissue and lead to a loss of range of motion. Chiropractic care and massage therapy along with home stretching and exercise are very important in this stage. Also the proper use of heat followed by ice is important. Do not use heat alone or you will prolong the inflammation and increase tissue damage.
The third stage is remodeling stage. Depending on your severity of whiplash this can take up to a year. This is when the body lays down more collagen to reinforce the injured tissue. Again active care is so important here, including your home therapy. Exercise will help the tissue gain strength so you will have less chance of future injury to the area.
If you have been in a whiplash type injury and are having headaches, neck pain, upper back pain, low back pain or shoulder pain give us a call. I would look forward to the opportunity to help you recover from your injuries. So often I will get patients in the office who had a whiplash years ago and still relate their pain today to that injury. Proper early care can decrease your chance of that happening.
Post on July 18, 2013
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