What Happens When You Get Whiplash?

Do you have neck pain out of nowhere? Whiplash isn’t just caused by motor vehicle accidents–a fall or athletic injury can also cause it.

Who knew a great day in your fitness class could potentially result in the residual, long-lasting pain we call whiplash?

When you hear the word, “whiplash,” most people immediately think of a motor-vehicle accident or collision. However, whiplash is not an injury exclusive to this type of accident. Other causes of whiplash include:

Assault, such as being punched or shaken
Roller coaster rides
Sports, especially football or boxing
Slip and falls, trip and falls
And many more

How does whiplash occur?

A whiplash injury is formed when the cervical spine (your neck) is moved beyond its normal range of motion in a forward (flexion), backward (extension) or side-to-side movement.

The discs between your vertebrae, along with their associated muscles, tendons and ligaments become stretched or torn, resulting in symptoms like:

Significant neck pain, stiffness or tenderness
Migraines, headaches and/or dizziness
A numb or tingling sensation
Random muscle spasms
Increased irritability and/or memory loss
Impaired or blurred vision
A subtle or strong ringing in your ears

How ChiropracTED Las Vegas Can Help

what happens when you get whiplashWhiplash symptoms may appear immediately or up to 72 hours after your injury occurs. More often than not, people assume it will go away on its own. Unfortunately, there are long-term effects that can develop if left untreated. Effects that can cause serious problems to the disc and facet joints.

The goal of ChiropracTED is to return the joints affected by whiplash to their normal position to relieve stress on affected nerves and strain on affected muscles. If you or a loved one have experienced whiplash injury, or any of the symptoms outlined above, please contact a Las Vegas chiropractor, such as the chiropractors at ChiropracTED, for a free, initial injury consultation. Let’s bring you BACK to life!