How to Heal from Whiplash Faster

Have you been in a car accident or experienced other trauma resulting in whiplash? It’s incredibly common. Approximately 1 million people suffer serious neck injuries from falls, sports injuries, and accidents. The pain caused by whiplash can last for months or years beyond the initial injury, but you can heal faster with the right help.

At CHOICE Pain & Rehabilitation Center, with multiple locations in Maryland, our team of board-certified physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists can diagnose whiplash injuries and recommend treatments that will help you heal swiftly.

Whiplash basics

Whiplash is a neck injury in which a sudden movement causes the head to jerk back and forth like a whip. Technically, this type of injury is referred to as a cervical sprain. 

Some people only experience mild symptoms of whiplash, such as soreness that fades rapidly. Others end up with chronic pain because the bands of muscle responsible for supporting the head get stretched or torn. Other common whiplash symptoms include the following:

• Severe stiffness and pain in the neck 
• Neck pain that gets worse a few days post-injury 
• Sharp, stabbing feelings of pain whenever you move 
• Headaches in addition to your neck pain  

The bottom line is, if you suffer whiplash, you should seek medical attention and not rely on how you feel. Because, if you get in a car accident or get hit on the playing field, adrenaline can easily mask the symptoms. So, no matter if you feel anything, you should see a doctor. Furthermore, you should see a doctor immediately or go to the emergency room if you experience any of the following:

• Pain so intense that you can’t sleep or turn your head  
• Pain and stiffness that comes and goes and is unpredictable
• Arm, leg, or shoulder symptoms, such as numbness and tingling  
• Loss of control over your bowel and/or bladder function 

Recovering from whiplash

By seeking professional care swiftly, you can help speed your recovery and feel better sooner. At CHOICE Pain & Rehabilitation Center, we order any necessary exams and imaging to get a clear understanding of the damage done to your cervical spine. Then, we design a treatment plan to help you get well. Your plan could include a number of therapies, such as the following:

• Using hot or cold packs
• Physical therapy
• Pain injections, facet block injections, or epidural nerve blocks
• Appropriate pain management treatments
• Acupuncture or massage

Our goal is to help you recover as fast as possible from your whiplash injury and get you back to normal.

If you have suffered a whiplash injury, book an appointment online or over the phone with CHOICE Pain & Rehabilitation Center today. Our Maryland offices are located in Hyattsville, Gaithersburg, Lanham, Dundalk, Oxon Hill, Rosedale, and Olney, and we have two offices in Baltimore.