A common practice for the American culture following an auto accident is to go to the Emergency Room to be examined by an ER physician.-á This in itself is a standard practice, depending upon the extent of the accident and the potential for injury and harm to the patient.-á Having a thorough physical exam is very important to rule out, or in, the possibility of the serious and potentially life threatening injury.-á-á Barring any spinal fractures or severe ligament tears, patients that are experiencing the symptoms of a whiplash injury are usually given anti-inflammatory medications, pain killers, muscle relaxers or a combination of all three.-á-á While these medications help make the patient more comfortable, they have limitations when it comes to healing and repairing soft tissue damage.-á-á However over the last ten to fifteen years, medicine has become very open to manual therapies and other holistic approaches for the management of whiplash.-á Chiropractic, Physical Therapy, Massage and Acupuncture have proven to be very effective in the management of whiplash injuries, and when used together, have been known to have very positive outcomes. Chiropractic has been shown to be highly effective in the treatment of whiplash.-á Following whiplash injuries the damage that occurs to soft tissue causes the intrinsic muscles along the spine to spasm, which in turn can cause the neck to feel very stiff and range of motion to be reduced.-á Gentle cervical adjustments help restore range of motion, aid in the proper remodeling of soft tissue structures, reduce pain, increase blood flow to injured areas, and break up scar tissue that can develop following a whiplash injury. Physical therapy is a very effective in pain reduction, increasing cervical range of motion, and improve muscle strength and stability in the cervical spine.-á Physical therapists utilize different modalities such as; electrical stimulation, ultrasound, ice and heat which help reduce pain and inflammation.-á Physical therapy also incorporates a specific program of strengthening and stretching exercises to improve core strength and spinal stability that is lost following a whiplash injury. Massage is another great alternative for the management of whiplash.-á Deep tissue massage is very effective at breaking up scar tissue and trigger points that build up as a result of whiplash injury.-á As massage therapy helps to break up soft tissue adhesions it also helps increase blood flow to the injuries which in turn promotes healing. Acupuncture has shown positive outcomes in the management of whiplash injuries by effectively reducing pain and inflammation as well as aiding in soft tissue remodeling. Acupuncture-á has a relaxation component in which the treatment needles need to remain in place for a certain amount of time, while the patient relaxes on a treatment table usually listening to calming music.-á Sometimes a mental "Time outGÇ¥ is what a patient needs to allow their body to heal. As you can see, there are a number of different treatment options available when it comes to whiplash injuries.-á I find an approach that combines several, if not all, of these treatment methods to be the most effective approach when managing patients who are suffering from whiplash.
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