Good day, my name is Dr. Greg Beasley and I am a chiropractor in Everett Wa.  I have been in practice almost 20 years now, 13 of those as a chiropractor here in Everett.  Due to my location I have the opportunity to treat whiplash victims daily.  Many patients will come in the office with a neck pain, although as we talk they will realize they have a larger set of symptoms.

Whiplash occurs when you are struck from behind and your head whips back and forth.  (Actually the car is pushed out from under you, taking your body with it and leaving the head and neck hanging in mid air and after this your head is whipped forward by the force of the seat back.)  Anyway, when the head is thrown around there will be damage to the joints of the neck and upper back along with injury to the surrounding muscles.  Most people understand this will cause a great deal on neck and upper back pain.  Although what many patients do not think about is that this type of very fast trauma to the spine and head can also cause injury to  the disc of the spine, the nerves of the spine, the spinal cord itself, the shoulders and even the brain.

Symptoms from these injuries will be pain in the arms, pins and needles in the arms and hands, weakness of the neck, your head will feel heavy, abnormal headaches and dizziness to name a few.  With a low grade brain injury you may also experience poor balance, forgetfulness, poor concentration, difficulty focusing, depression, anxiety and a general feeling of poor well being.

What to do?  The spinal injuries will need some form of manual treatment including possible chiropractic care, massage therapy, physical therapy and a home stretching and exercise program.  Type and length of treatment will depended on the severity of your injuries.  The other symptoms from the spinal cord and brain injuries may need care from a physiatrist or neurologist.  The key for all these injuries is fast and proper diagnosis.  Find a doctor who will listen to all your complaints and who has a lot of experience in treating these type of complaints.

If you have been in a recent whiplash type injury and are suffering from any of the a
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