Many call this neck injury “whiplash,” since the name goes from the people. This is actually serious damage to the cervical spine. There is a violation in the muscles during extension and flexion of the neck. More on whiplash injury of the cervical spine next.
Why is it so serious?
Doctors attribute this type of injury to severe forms. This is due to the fact that the consequences of the injury seriously violate the quality of human life. Often such injuries lead to disability and this is scary for the patient’s future life. With improper or untimely treatment, such injuries can be fatal.
If such tragic consequences did not reach without treatment, then the injury eventually becomes chronic.
Unfortunately, a whiplash injury is not always recognized in the first stages, this is due to the fact that she has not expressed symptoms.
Causes
Whiplash injury of the cervical spine can occur only with mechanical action of external factors. We are talking about situations when a person is forced to abruptly throw his head back, tilt it forward. The vast majority of cases in which a whiplash injury is diagnosed are automobile accidents. In order to get such an injury, you need a serious external impact with great force. It rarely happens that an injury occurs with natural flexion and extension.
In addition to car accidents, common causes of such an injury are:
- Falls from a great height.
- Striking with a heavy object in the neck and head.
- Sudden movements and excessive loads in professional sports.
Based on the above reasons, we can make an unambiguous conclusion that this type of injury occurs precisely for mechanical reasons. No congenital and other pathologies can lead to this type of injury. There are also no cases when the physiological characteristics of the development of the child can lead to this type of injury.
Recognizing a whiplash injury of the spine and neck can be done by conducting a serious examination. There are two methods that are used to diagnose this pathology - x-ray and tomography. Both ways to recognize the injury are quite informative, they give the most complete information about the state of the cervical spine at the time of examination.
At the same time, it is worth noting that the most extensive picture is provided by MRI, tomography. This type of examination has one drawback, it is quite expensive, so not every patient can afford it.
When it is found that the injury is quite severe, an additional examination is required, the nerve roots are examined for lesions and changes.
Symptoms of Injury
Over time, the studies made it clear that if there is an appropriate timely treatment, then this type of injury is not as dangerous as it seems. If the right actions are not taken in time, then there can be unpredictable consequences. Understanding that it takes place is often difficult. Symptoms of a whiplash injury to the neck and spine may not be apparent, among them:
- Severe painful signs in the neck.
- Pain in the back of the head and temples.
- The appearance of the veil in his eyes, everything becomes muddy around.
- Excessive nervous excitability, a sense of anxiety and fear.
- Decrease in attention, constant confusion, distraction.
Agree, according to these signs it is very difficult to say what exactly is happening to the person and what his diagnosis is.
Signs
There is the very first and brightest sign that should make the patient think about this particular type of injury, if it is difficult to turn his head, a pain arises in the neck area that blocks the movement completely. If this feeling does not let go for a long time, then an urgent need to start an examination.
But here are the secondary signs that appear further may be very different. Often people do not pay attention to the fact that the neck does not turn for a while. After a certain time, he lets go and the person forgets about it. In fact, everything related to the cervical spine and the spine is very serious. It may happen that time is lost and the progress of the injury begins to develop quite quickly.
All the signs that were given above can occur after a different period of time. Some symptoms give themselves immediately, already in the first hours after the injury, and some, after some time. In any case, if you even receive, as it seems to you, a minor injury in the neck, you should definitely be examined and make sure that there is nothing too serious.
At the same time, it should be noted that with severe trauma, many symptoms will manifest themselves immediately, but when it comes to hidden bruises of a mild degree, symptoms can appear in a few days.
In the acute form of trauma, painful sensations arise immediately after a stroke has occurred, the patient seeks help immediately. Such a situation simply will not allow you to sit and not take medical action, the pain will simply lead to loss of consciousness.
The consequences of pathology
It is very insidious, as first aid can be provided, but the disease is not completely cured, then negative consequences may arise after the relief measures have been provided.
Often the consequences of a whiplash injury occur when the patient has already forgotten about it.
Here are some of the consequences of pathology that occur against the background of an injury:
- The occurrence of an intervertebral hernia, which previously did not exist and the prerequisites for it, too.
- Constant feeling of nausea and discomfort.
- Daily migraine and headaches.
- Pain in the back, discomfort when moving.
- Neurological disorders, which are accompanied by various pains in different parts of the body.
- Difficulty turning the neck, and over time, a complete loss of mobility.
- Baseless stoop when a person all the time wants to bend.
Should I take care after getting injured?
In order to avoid such consequences, you need to take care not only that the injury is completely healed, but also to provide preventive measures after a full course of treatment. What does it mean? A person must for some time after undergoing the treatment process be sure to be observed by a specialist and undergo prophylaxis, it includes:
- Moderate physical exertion in preventive measures, swimming, physiotherapy, therapeutic baths.
- Depending on the form of the injury, courses of various massages are often prescribed, this is very useful so that the body is always in good shape.
- The use of various herbal preparations that strengthen bone tissue and serve to support the immune system.
Well, of course, you need to constantly keep your finger on the pulse in terms of examination and check in what condition the body is. Do not neglect the medical recommendations that doctors give.
It is also worth paying attention that after such a serious injury any preventive measures of an independent nature are contraindicated. All actions are carried out only in agreement with the attending and supervising doctor. Any self-medication can cause serious harm to masturbation, especially in a situation where some parts of the body are weakened.
Injury treatment
Today, a large number of treatment methods for whiplash injuries, each patient has the right to choose. With traditional methods, a course of both medical treatment and physiotherapy is prescribed.
Also, medicine has successfully used injections to treat this kind of injury. All procedures are prescribed by a doctor, a schedule is built according to which the patient carries out all the recommended manipulations.
In this case, it is important to remember that the result of treatment will be only if you follow everything exactly on time and do not miss a single procedure. The fact is that our body gets used to a certain system and, in accordance with it, accumulates everything that is needed for recovery. If there is no system, then the body will not perceive correctly all the actions that the patient uses. That is why it is so important not to disrupt the treatment regimen.
Osteopathy
Today, there are many alternative methods of solving problems associated with such an injury. In particular, osteopathy is one option. She is often perceived skeptically by medicine, while there are a huge number of real examples of patients who recovered after such procedures and did not receive negative consequences.
Of course, this is a big risk of turning to an area that is completely unfamiliar to you. But often the risk is justified.
Osteopathic therapy is aimed at curing the body through energy that is transmitted from person to person. Today, a huge number of specialists who offer such services. Before contacting a specialist in this field, you should definitely consult how competent he is and can help you. There are special resources for this, where former patients leave feedback on how a particular doctor treats.
The benefits of this treatment
This method, of course, has its advantages:
- When receiving treatment, a person does not experience pain.
- With proper procedures, the effect is noticeable after several sessions.
- During the procedure, the whole body relaxes.
When resorting to this method, it is worthwhile to understand that you will not have forecasts and guarantees. It takes time to make sure the effectiveness of such treatment. Not everyone takes such risks, but try to focus on traditional methods of treatment.
Should I contact them?
There is a less risky option, but still suitable for skeptics. In the acute period, you can be treated with those drugs that the doctor prescribes. And after treatment, receive preventive measures from an osteopath. Thus, the risks are reduced. If it happens that the energy of this specialist is not suitable for you or you basically understand that this is not for you, you can always refuse. Indeed, most often the admission of such specialists is carried out once, it is not necessary to go through as many sessions as recommended.
Rare cases, but still there are times when traditional doctors advise you to go to osteopaths, in such situations, as a rule, they recommend which ones. If you trust a doctor who recommends a specialist, then you can contact him.
Also, one of the alternatives is to get a mixed treatment. Yes, in this case it will not be completely clear which method has brought results, but then there are much fewer risks.
Recommendations
There are general recommendations that should be followed (it doesn’t matter which treatment method you have chosen):
- Rest, rest more.
- Do not overload yourself with physical activity.
- Take fortifying infusions and herbs that are allowed for everyone.
In this case, you will save your strength and health.