CERVICAL WHIPLASH
Cervical whiplash is the most common injury in car accidents, and often seen in sports like football and soccer.
Damage to the ligaments and muscles of your neck from whiplash can occur even going as slow as 5 to 10mph.
Whiplash refers mainly to damage that happens to the muscles and ligaments of the neck following some type of event where you experience a sudden stop causing your head to "whip" forward, backwards, or to the side.
Below are the most common reasons we see that require whiplash treatment in Cedar Falls and Waterloo
These aren't all the causes of cervical whiplash, but can serve as a starting point to understand the different causes of whiplash related neck pain.
Car Accidents
Whiplash from a car accident is the most common reason patients present to
our office with this issue and why attorney's in the cedar valley refer
patient's to our office.
High School Athletics
The most common sports being football, soccer, and rugby.
Club Sports
Whiplash from motocross and whiplash from hockey are also very common.
However, with the right education, you can protect yourself from many of these causes.
Those that suffer the most from this condition, especially chronic cases, are typically in poor physical condition with weak stabilizing muscles.
A uniting factor we see as a chiropractor in Cedar Falls is often a job that involves sitting for most of the day working at a desk computer. This type of patient has poor sitting posture, which will lead to a weakening of the spinal erector muscles, reducing stability of the spine further contributing to the condition. The importance of a strong core and training your spinal muscles cannot be overstated.
In instances where the problem is related to overuse, poor posture or
improper exercise, there are steps that can be taken to
help avoid these injuries from happening.
Proper education on your specific postural habits can reduce the harmful effects of sitting on the spine. Furthermore, education on correct lifting form can further reduce these episodes of low back pain and help you build a healthier spine.