Why You Should Not Ignore Whiplash Pain

Whiplash is a common soft tissue injury to the neck or cervical spine. Usually, the damage to the musculoskeletal system happens from the head jolting forward and backward in an auto accident. However, whiplash can result from anything that causes this whipping motion, like a fall, contact sports or assault (physical abuse).

What Exactly is Whiplash?

The head’s abrupt and violent whipping motion can tear, stretch and contort muscles, ligaments and tendons in the neck and cervical spine. It can also damage the spinal bones and disks between them.

Whiplash can start as a minor soreness or pain. Unfortunately, many people confuse whiplash for normal post-accident discomfort. This notion encourages people not to seek early medical assistance, causing worsening whiplash and longer healing times.

A rear-end collision can induce whiplash even at modest speeds, so it’s crucial to consult a doctor to rule out any injuries. Otherwise, whiplash can linger for weeks, months or even years without treatment.

Whiplash Symptoms

The most persistent whiplash symptoms are reoccurring headaches, migraines and sporadic neck discomfort and stiffness. You may also experience limited neck mobility, drowsiness, lethargy, tinnitus, blurred vision, dizzy spells, nausea and insomnia.

The onset of whiplash-related headaches may occur immediately following the incident, or they may not manifest until many days later.

Whiplash headaches are not a distinct form of headache. They will probably feel like other headaches. However, these are caused by:

• Neck soft tissue inflammation (swelling)
• Cervical spine damage or inflammation
• Nerve compression or irritation from an injury
• Neck or shoulder muscle spasms

Identifying the cause of whiplash headaches is essential for determining the most effective treatment. If you come to Caliber Pain™, our pain specialists will pinpoint the cause of headaches associated with whiplash injuries.

Address Your Whiplash Pain

Caliber Pain’s Midtown Manhattan pain clinic can provide effective whiplash headache treatment tailored to your unique needs and symptoms. The treatment plans may include acupuncture, trigger point injections, facet joint injections, physical therapy and other interventional medicine treatments.

Visit our specialists at Caliber Pain today if you have persistent headaches or other forms of pain following a whiplash injury. We can make a diagnosis and establish your interventional pain treatment on the same day.