Car accident and ICBC claim? You may know the pain.
Symptoms of whiplash can include neck and upper back pain, jaw and earaches, muscular tension, loss of movement, and headaches. These symptoms can be incredibly debilitating and affect work, family life, sport, and sleep and should not go untreated.
It’s often assumed that passive treatment, such as massage and manipulations are the best and only solution for accident-related injuries such as this. However, a proper exercise routine isn’t only helpful. It’s crucial!
In fact, research shows that, in the event of any injury, exercise is the only treatment that can stand alone and for itself! No other modality, when performed by itself, was able to provide a better outcome than movement.
An optimal treatment for whiplash will involve some passive techniques, such as soft tissue massage and joint mobilizations to temporarily decrease pain and increase mobility capabilities.
After that, reteaching active range of motion and gradually restrengthening through the neck and shoulders will provide the longest-lasting benefits by decreasing the body’s need to retighten in order to protect the injured joints.
What’s more, the earlier that treatment and rehab is started, the better! Even if it feels like the pain is too great to do any exercise, a plan can be tailored to your individual tolerance, no matter how minor the movement is, to get you going in the right direction.
Don’t wait. Don’t stay still. Take an proactive and active approach to your recovery.
