whiplash

Whiplash occurs when a person’s head moves backward and then forward suddenly with great force. This injury is most common following a rear-end car collision. It can also result from physical abuse, sports injuries, or amusement park rides.

Whiplash results when the soft tissues (the muscles and ligaments) of your neck extend beyond their typical range of motion. Your symptoms might not appear for a while, so it’s important to pay attention to any physical changes for a few days following any accident.

Whiplash is thought of as a relatively mild condition, but it can cause long-term pain and discomfort. How do whiplash injuries occur?

Whiplash occurs when the muscles in your neck suffer a strain because of a rapid movement backward and then forward. The sudden motion causes your neck’s tendons and ligaments to stretch and tear, resulting in whiplash.

Some things that can cause whiplash include:

car accidents
physical abuse, such as being punched or shaken
contact sports such as football, boxing, and karate
horseback riding
cycling accidents
falls in which the head violently jerks backward
blows to the head with a heavy object

What does whiplash feel like?

Symptoms usually appear within 24 hours after the incident that caused the whiplash. Sometimes, symptoms may develop after a few days. They can last for several weeks.

Common symptoms include:

neck pain and stiffness
headaches, specifically at the base of the skull
dizziness
blurred vision
constant weariness

Less common symptoms associated with chronic whiplash include:

problems with concentration and memory
ringing in the ears
inability to sleep well
irritability
chronic pain in the neck, shoulders, or head

You should follow up with your doctor immediately if:

your symptoms spread to your shoulders or arms
moving your head is painful
you have numbness or weakness in your arms

How is whiplash diagnosed?

Most mild to moderate cases of whiplash can be treated at home using over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, ice, and other remedies. However, you should seek medical help if you have the following symptoms:

pain or stiffness in the neck that goes away and then returns
severe neck pain
pain, numbness, or tingling in your shoulders, arms, or legs
any issues with your bladder or bowels
localized weakness in an arm or leg

Your doctor will normally ask you questions about your injury, such as how it occurred, where you feel pain, and whether the pain is dull, shooting, or sharp. They may also do a physical exam to check your range of motion and look for areas of tenderness.

Your doctor might order an X-ray to ensure your pain isn’t connected to any other type of injury or degenerative disease such as arthritis.

Other tests, such as CT scans and MRI, will allow your doctor to assess any damage or inflammation in the soft tissues, spinal cord, or nerves. Certain imaging studies, such as diffuse tensor imaging (DTI) or positron emission tomography (PET scan), may be helpful, especially when there may be a brain injury. These tests will help localize and measure the extent of an injury to the brain or other areas.

Treatment for whiplash

The treatments for whiplash are relatively simple. Doctors will often prescribe an OTC pain medication like Tylenol or aspirin. More severe injuries may require prescription painkillers and muscle relaxants to reduce muscle spasms.

In addition to medication, physical therapy plays a crucial role in recovery. You may want to apply ice or heat to the injured area and practice simple exercises to build strength and flexibility in your neck. Practice good posture and learn relaxation techniques to keep your neck muscles from straining and to help with recovery.

You might also be given a foam collar to keep your neck stable. Collars should not be worn for more than three hours at a time. They should only be used the first couple of days after your injury, as well.

Complications associated with whiplash

Some people with whiplash do experience chronic pain or headaches for years following their accident. Doctors may be able to trace this pain to damaged neck joints, disks, and ligaments. But chronic pain following a whiplash injury typically has no medical explanation.

However, very few people have any long-term complications from whiplash. Usually, recovery time is anywhere from a few days to several weeks. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, most people recover fully within three months.

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Do You Have a Stiff Neck? Try These Simple Remedies

With so many of us gazing into computers or staring down at our smart phones most of the day, it’s no wonder data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that nearly 20 percent of us have experienced neck pain within the past three months.

A stiff neck typically is the result of muscles weakening over time from poor posture or misuse, says chiropractor Andrew Bang, DC, of Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Integrative Medicine.

Looking down at your computer monitor all day can cause the muscles around the neck joints to tire and become overstretched. Driving for long periods of time or looking at your smart phone can have the same effect. If you’re doing this day after day, it can add up and can displace your neck joints.

“When your neck muscles become weak and you try to turn your head, the joint no longer moves smoothly because it’s now out of place,” Dr. Bang says. “Often the joint catches on something, either pulling a muscle or hitting the nerve irregularly, or maybe both. Then you’ll have instant pain and your body has a protective spasm. Your body doesn’t want you to get hurt more, so it will clench, causing you to feel like you can’t even move — and leaving you wondering what you did to injure yourself.”
Stretching can keep pain at bay

Putting your monitor at eye level, sitting up straight and avoiding tilting and twisting your head down or to the side while you’re on the computer can help you avoid neck pain. When you’re driving or looking at your smart phone, be sure to take frequent breaks and avoid having your neck bent forward for long periods of time, Dr. Bang says.

The key to relief for a stiff neck is proper stretching and manipulation, Dr. Bang says. Here are some stretches you can try at your desk or in the car that may help you to avoid a stiff neck:

Roll your shoulders backwards and down 10 times
Squeeze your shoulder blades together 10 times
Push your head backwards into your car head rest or hands and hold for 30 seconds
Bring your ear to your shoulder 10 times on each side

Take care when you sleep

Dr. Bang says if your neck is bothering you, you also should pay attention to your sleep positions. Sleep only on your side or on your back – never on your stomach, he says.

“When you sleep on your stomach, often you will end up twisting your head one way or the other for hours at a time,” Dr. Bang says. “Sleeping on your stomach also can affect your low back because your belly sinks in to the bed if you don’t have enough support.”

For minor, common causes of neck pain, try these simple remedies:

Apply heat or ice to the painful area. Use ice for the first 48 to 72 hours, then use heat after that. Heat may be applied with warm showers, hot compresses or a heating pad. Be sure not to fall asleep with a heating pad or ice bag in place to avoid skin injuries.
Take over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen.
Keep moving, but avoid jerking or painful activities. This helps calm your symptoms and reduce inflammation.
Do slow range-of-motion exercises, up and down, side to side, and from ear to ear. This helps to gently stretch the neck muscles.
Have a partner gently massage the sore or painful areas.
Try sleeping on a firm mattress without a pillow or with a special neck pillow.
Ask your health care provider about using a soft neck collar to relieve discomfort. Do not use the collar for a long time. Doing so can make your neck muscles weaker.

If the pain gets in the way of your daily activities, Dr. Bang says to call your doctor.

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Neck pain

Overview

Neck pain is a common complaint. Neck muscles can be strained from poor posture — whether it's leaning over your computer or hunching over your workbench. Osteoarthritis also is a common cause of neck pain.

Rarely, neck pain can be a symptom of a more serious problem. Seek medical care if your neck pain is accompanied by numbness or loss of strength in your arms or hands or if you have shooting pain into your shoulder or down your arm. Symptoms

Signs and symptoms include:

Pain that's often worsened by holding your head in one place for long periods, such as when driving or working at a computer
Muscle tightness and spasms
Decreased ability to move your head
Headache

When to see a doctor

Most neck pain improves gradually with home treatment. If not, see your doctor.

Seek immediate care if severe neck pain results from an injury, such as a motor vehicle accident, diving accident or fall.

Contact a doctor if your neck pain:

Is severe
Persists for several days without relief
Spreads down arms or legs
Is accompanied by headache, numbness, weakness or tingling

Causes

Your neck is flexible and supports the weight of your head, so it can be vulnerable to injuries and conditions that cause pain and restrict motion. Neck pain causes include:

Muscle strains. Overuse, such as too many hours hunched over your computer or smartphone, often triggers muscle strains. Even minor things, such as reading in bed or gritting your teeth, can strain neck muscles.
Worn joints. Just like the other joints in your body, your neck joints tend to wear down with age. Osteoarthritis causes the cushions (cartilage) between your bones (vertebrae) to deteriorate. Your body then forms bone spurs that affect joint motion and cause pain.
Nerve compression. Herniated disks or bone spurs in the vertebrae of your neck can press on the nerves branching out from the spinal cord.
Injuries. Rear-end auto collisions often result in whiplash injury, which occurs when the head is jerked backward and then forward, straining the soft tissues of the neck.
Diseases. Certain diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, meningitis or cancer, can cause neck pain.

Prevention

Most neck pain is associated with poor posture combined with age-related wear and tear. To help prevent neck pain, keep your head centered over your spine. Some simple changes in your daily routine may help. Consider trying to:

Use good posture. When standing and sitting, be sure your shoulders are in a straight line over your hips and your ears are directly over your shoulders.
Take frequent breaks. If you travel long distances or work long hours at your computer, get up, move around and stretch your neck and shoulders.
Adjust your desk, chair and computer so that the monitor is at eye level. Knees should be slightly lower than hips. Use your chair's armrests.
Avoid tucking the phone between your ear and shoulder when you talk. Use a headset or speakerphone instead.
If you smoke, quit. Smoking can put you at higher risk of developing neck pain.
Avoid carrying heavy bags with straps over your shoulder. The weight can strain your neck.
Sleep in a good position. Your head and neck should be aligned with your body. Use a small pillow under your neck.
Try sleeping on your back with your thighs elevated on pillows, which will flatten your spinal muscles.

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Four simple stretches to relieve neck pain

Neck pain is something most of us feel at some point. Whether it’s from sleeping in an awkward position, sitting still for hours, or a niggling old injury, that painful ache never seems to stay away for too long. While a trip to the physio might be in order to fix the problem long term, there are simple exercises you can do yourself at home to offer relief and ease soreness. Physiotherapist Kusal Goonewardena says these four stretches will gradually increase your range of movement over time. Remember, it’s important when doing any of these exercises not to push through pain. Some discomfort is ok, but pain is not. Gently ease yourself into the stretch and hold it when you feel the resistance without the pain. Trapezius stretch Put your right arm behind your back, put your left arm on your head, and then with your left hand gently tilt your head to the left hand side. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat three times on one side before doing the other. Neck rotation with opposite pressure Turn the head as far as you can tolerate (do not push into pain) and then provide resistance with your hand to the direction you’re going. Hold for three seconds. Release. Continue five times and your range will increase. This activates the muscles in the direction you want to turn. Fist under chin exercise This helps to strengthen the neck and also improve a little traction (stretch to the back of the neck). Make a fist, with your little finger resting on your sternum, and your thumb and forefinger under your chin. Gently use your other hand to push your head forward. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat three times. This helps open up the joints in the neck, therefore reducing pain and increasing mobility. Self massage at the base of the skull Place fingers from both hand either side of your neck bone, right at the base of the skull. You can achieve loosening in the muscles without any equipment, just apply a firm, rotational self-massage for 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side of the skull.

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What is neck pain? What are causes and risk factors for neck pain?

Pain located in the neck is a common medical condition. Neck pain can come from a number of disorders and diseases and can involve any of the tissues in the neck. Examples of common conditions causing neck pain are degenerative disc disease, neck strain, neck injury such as in whiplash, a herniated disc, or a pinched nerve. Neck pain can come from common infections, such as virus infection of the throat, leading to lymph node (gland) swelling and neck pain. Neck pain can also come from rare infections, such as tuberculosis of the neck, infection of the spine bones in the neck (osteomyelitis and septic discitis), and meningitis (often accompanied by neck stiffness). Neck pain can also come from conditions directly affecting the muscles of the neck, such as fibromyalgia and polymyalgia rheumatica as well as from uncomfortable positioning of the neck while sleeping with the head on a pillow. Neck pain is also referred to as cervical pain. Risk factors for neck pain include injury from involvement in contact sports, motor-vehicle accidents, bull or bronco horse riding, etc. Prevention of neck pain in the context of these activities should include neck strengthening exercises and often neck bracing. What are other symptoms that are associated with neck pain? Neck pain is commonly associated with dull aching. Sometimes pain in the neck is worsened with movement of the neck or turning the head. Other symptoms associated with some forms of neck pain include numbness, tingling, tenderness, sharp shooting pain, fullness, difficulty swallowing, pulsations, swishing sounds in the head, dizziness or lightheadedness, and lymph node (gland) swelling. Neck pain can also be associated with headache, facial pain, shoulder pain, and arm numbness or tingling (upper extremity paresthesias). These associated symptoms are often a result of nerves becoming pinched in the neck. Depending on the condition, sometimes neck pain is accompanied by upper back and/or lower back pain, as is common in inflammation of the spine from ankylosing spondylitis. What are the structures of the neck? There are seven vertebrae that are the bony building blocks of the spine in the neck (the cervical vertebrae) that surround the spinal cord and canal. Between these vertebrae are discs, and nearby pass the nerves of the neck. Within the neck, structures include the skin, neck muscles, arteries, veins, lymph nodes, thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, esophagus, larynx, and trachea. Diseases or conditions that affect any of these tissues of the neck can lead to neck pain. What specialties of doctors treat neck pain? Doctors who treat neck pain can include general medicine physicians, including family medicine doctors and internists, as well as orthopedists, rheumatologists, neurosurgeons, neurologists, ENT specialists, emergency physicians, physiatrists, and chiropractors. Other ancillary health professionals who treat neck pain include physical therapists, massage therapists, and acupuncturists. How do health-care professionals diagnose neck pain? In diagnosing the cause of neck pain, it is important to review the history of the symptoms. In reviewing the history, the doctor will note the location, intensity, duration, and radiation of the pain. Is the pain worsened or improved with turning or repositioning of the head? Any past injury to the neck and past treatments are noted. Aggravating and/or relieving positions or motions are also recorded. The neck is examined at rest and in motion. Tenderness is detected during palpation of the neck. An examination of the nervous system is performed to determine whether or not nerve involvement is present. Further testing of undiagnosed neck pain can include X-ray evaluation, CT scan, bone scan, MRI scan, myelogram, and electrical tests such as electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction velocity test (NCV). What is the treatment for neck pain? What are home remedies for neck pain relief? The treatment of neck pain depends on its precise cause. Treatment options include rest, heat or cold applications, traction, soft-collar traction, physical therapy (ultrasound, massage, manipulation), local injections of cortisone or anesthetics, topical anesthetic creams, topical pain-relief patches, muscle relaxants, analgesics, and surgical procedures. Home remedies for treatment, such as Jacuzzi treatment, neck pain relief exercises and stretches, and neck pain relief products such as neck pillows for sleep and hot pads can be very beneficial for relief of some forms of neck pain. There are many treatment options, depending on the particular neck problem and past treatment experiences. Alternative treatments that have been used for relief of chronic neck pain include acupuncture. What is the prognosis for neck pain? The outlook for neck pain depends on the precise cause. Most forms of neck pain can resolve with conservative measures including rest, avoiding reinjury, and gradual rehabilitation. Is it possible to prevent neck pain? Neck pain can really only be prevented by avoiding injury to the neck. This would include minimizing the risks of injury during sports activities. Athletes who participate in collision sports can prevent neck injury with appropriate equipment, neck strengthening exercises, and occasional neck bracing.

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