Whiplash Injury
Whiplash injury results from the rapid acceleration and deceleration of the head and neck such as from a motor vehicle accident.
Whiplash-associated disorders (WAD): refers to the various symptoms people experience after a whiplash injury including:
Neck pain (most common)
Dizziness
Headaches
Unsteadiness
Fatigue
Attentional & memory issues
X-rays don’t show anything which is unfortunate, because then it’s harder for others, and for employers, to understand why you have the limitations that you have.
Also, the fact that it’s invisible is very difficult, when others can’t see it on you that you’ve been in an accident.
“I’m not the same as i was before, neither mentally or physically”
“I take painkillers and keep on going, but at the same time, my body is completely exhausted”
Injury can be life changing, other experiences from patients with whiplash injury include:
Ridiculed
Loss of identity
Invisible
Misunderstood
Lonely
Worthless
Judged
Fearfulness
Guilt
Constant anxiety
Exhaustion from hypervigilance
Difficulties with sleep
Persistent symptoms and chronic disability is associated with:
Lower self-efficacy
Negative expectations of recovery
Passive coping strategies
Purpose of rehab is to teach active self-management strategies, with an emphasis on finding ways to improve your control of your situation.
Confidence: so that you feel more in control of your situation, and less fearful that your harming yourself when you’re experiencing pain; your sensitivity might be increased for a variety of reasons but it is safe and encouraged to move and exercise after a whiplash injury
Function: so that you have the strength, endurance and range of motion to perform the activities that you need to do, or want to do
Tolerance: so you can do more overtime with or without symptoms
Your Prognosis
Whiplash injuries may require several days to several months to rehab. The recovery time of whiplash varies from person to person depending on the severity.
The good news is that research shows that most whiplash sufferers recover with actively guided treatment.
Other factors can impact your recovery, including depression and trauma-related anxiety, so raising any additional issues with a qualified health professional is essential to give yourself the best chance of recovery.
Key Exercise: Deep Neck Flexion
It has been found that deep cervical flexion training can successfully address impaired neuromuscular coordination which is an impaired physiological function associated with whiplash.
As the picture above shows, during your rehab your therapist will guide you through a progressive phase to regain the ability to control these muscles in your neck along with other exercises to strengthen the surrounding structures. For more exercise variations please check resources, number 3.
Has neck pain been affecting your day to day life? BOOK NOW for a consultation with our practitioner Tony.
Resources:
Exploring patients’ experiences of the whiplash injury-recovery process – a meta-synthesis
Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6029586/
A meta-analysis and systematic review of changes in joint position sense and static standing balance in patients with whiplash-associated disorder
Retrieved from: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0249659
Whiplash Exercises:
Retrieved from: https://mywhiplash.com.au/content/whiplash-exercises
Blomgren, J., Strandell, E., Jull, G., Vikman, I., Roijezon, U. (2018). Effects of deep cervical flexor training on impaired physiological functions associated with chronic neck pain: a systematic review
Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6263552/
