Treating chronic back pain and neck pain from a whiplash injury

After a car accident neck pain is one of the primary complaints. This is due to the fact the the head weighs around 10 lbs and during acceleration and deceleration that can create a lot of force on some of the smaller muscles and ligaments of the body, the result is whiplash and neck pain. After a whiplash injury, it is fairly common for people to suffer from chronic neck pain and back pain. During a chiropractic examination certain factors in a patient’s history an physical exam can be used to evaluate for this possibility. This process will help the chiropractor identify the patient who is at risk of developing chronic pain resulting from a whiplash injury, so that aggressive preventative measures can be taken.
At Mahler family Chiropractic Center, in Kingston Pa, the general approach to managing a patient’s chiropractic treatment is critical to the success of preventing chronic pain from a whiplash injury.

• It is important that the patients pain be reduced in the first several weeks of treatment.
• After This the focus shifts toward restoration of the function of the patients joints and muscles using both active and passive therapy procedures. This also means helping the patient return to work, home and recreational activities as soon as possible. The transition back to these activities is often gradual and takes time. It is important for the chiropractor to get the patient back to these activities even if the patient is not sure that he or she can engage in them fully.
• It is important that the patient gets back to normal activities and restoring the patients confidence after a whiplash injury is an important part of the chiropractor s job and also important for rehabilitation.
• Exercise, both for the purpose of correcting faulty movement patterns and instability, and for general fitness, is important in this effort to treat a whiplash injury.

Teaching the patient that hurt does not necessarily mean harm and the nature of chronic pain means placing focus on those activities the patient can do, rather than those they can not perform. This is a major part of treating chronic pain and in disability prevention after a whiplash injury. At Mahler Family Chiropractic Center we integrate the strategies explained above to develop the most effective approach for recovering from a whiplash injury and preventing future episodes of back pain.