Thomson Chiropractic and Acupuncture Can Treat Whiplash Caused by Auto Accidents in Kaysville, UT

Thomson Chiropractic and Acupuncture Can Treat Whiplash Caused by Auto Accidents in Kaysville, UT

Auto accidents can be stressful, from dealing with insurance to taking your car to the mechanic to possibly missing work, and pain can often take a back seat to everything you have to deal with. However, seeking medical attention should always be a priority after an accident. When your body is jerked forward and then backward suddenly, whiplash can occur, and if left untreated, this injury can become chronic pain or lead to a worse injury down the line. At Thomson Chiropractic and Acupuncture, Dr. David Thomson has extensive experience and skill with treating whiplash and other injuries related to automobile accidents in Kaysville, UT.

Whiplash is a term applied to injuries that occur to the neck when it is whipped in one direction and jolted in another. Although this injury is common during auto accidents, it can also be incredibly damaging. Many whiplash injuries involve sprains—which happen when the ligaments that support, protect and restrict vertebral movement are torn—and strains—which occur when muscles and tendons in the neck are stretched beyond their normal limits. Even the discs between vertebrae in the cervical spine can be torn with whiplash, resulting in disc herniation.

The most common symptoms of whiplash include pain and stiffness in the neck and headaches at the base of the skull, and these symptoms can last for weeks or months, and even years if left untreated. Dr. Thomson can accelerate healing and ensure that your injury does not persist by providing quality chiropractic care. With adjustments, therapeutic exercise, soft tissue treatment and massage, the chiropractor can help control your pain and reduce muscle spasms.

If you’ve been in an automobile accident, schedule an appointment with Dr. David Thomson at Thomson Chiropractic and Acupuncture in Kaysville, UT to ensure that your accident doesn’t cause you pain long after it is over. Call 801-547-6688 for an appointment. For more information about the chiropractor, his practice or his services, visit www.thespineline.com.

Sports Injuries, Back Injuries, and Back Pain

Sports Injuries, Back Injuries, and Back Pain

Exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, and sports are one approach many people choose to use to get their exercise.

For people with back pain, sports can still be a viable option if they pay attention to their back.

For others who participate in sports, knowing the type of strain various sports place on the back may help prevent a back injury.

This article give specific information about sports injuries and back pain.

Types of Sports-Related Back Injuries

When participating in any sport, injuries to any part of the spine are possible, as well as injuries to the soft tissue and fascia that help comprise the makeup of the body.  Up to 20% of all injuries that occur in sports involve an injury to the lower back or neck.

Lower Back injury

The lower back is subject to a great deal of strain in many sports.  Sports that use repetitive impact (e.g., running), a twisting motion (e.g., golf), or weight loading at the end of a range-of-motion (e.g., weightlifting) commonly cause damage to the lower back.

Neck Injury

The neck is most commonly injured in sports that involve contact (e.g., football), which place the cervical spine (neck) at risk of injury. Whiplash common in an auto accident can be caused by impact's im any contact sport.

Upper Back Injury

The thoracic spine (mid portion of the spine at the level of the rib cage) is less likely to be injured because it is relatively immobile and has extra support.  Injuries seen here can involve rib fracture and intercostals neuralgia as well as intercostals muscle strains in sports that involve rotation of the torso (e.g., weight training with rotation), swimming, golf, tennis and even skiing.

Stretching and Warm-Up Prior to Exercise

For every sport, a thorough warm-up should be completed before starting to play.  The warm-up will target the muscles used in that sport, but it should also prepare the back for the stresses to come.

The warm-up used should be specific to the sport to be played.  A typical warm-up should include:

-Increase circulation gradually by doing some easy movement (such as walking) to increase blood circulation to the muscles and ligaments of the back;

-Stretch the lower and upper back and related muscles, including hamstrings and quadriceps

-Start slowly with the sport movements (e.g., swing the golf club, serve the ball)

If you have questions please talk with me. I can help you determine what your limits might be and suggest an appropriate amount of exercise and exertion.  I can also help you with up to date information on the latest evidence related to stretching, exercise routines for specific sports and additional information designed to benefit your personal routine.

Sources of Whiplash Pain

When the cervical spine (neck) is subject to whiplash (an abrupt backward and/or forward jerking motion of the head), there is usually a combination of factors that contribute to whiplash pain in the neck and back, and ultimately need to be addressed individually by a chiropractor.  The doctor of chiropractic maintains a “holistic” view of the patient’s whiplash pain, specifically focusing on one or more of the following: joint dysfunction, muscle dysfunction, faulty movement patterns, and/or disc derangement.

This newsletter explains how chiropractors approach treating neck pain, back pain, and/or other whiplash symptoms, and help patients

Whiplash Pain Management For Joint Dysfunction

Joint dysfunction from whiplash occurs when one of the joints in the spine or limbs loses its normal joint play (resiliency and shock absorption).  It is detected through motion palpation, a chiropractic technique in which the chiropractor gently moves the joint in different directions and assesses its joint play.  When a joint develops dysfunction, its normal range of movement may be affected and it can become painful.  Additionally, joint dysfunction can lead to muscle imbalance and pain, and a viscous cycle: The loss of joint play can cause abnormal signals to the nervous system (there are an abundance of nerve receptors in the joint) – The muscles related to that joint can subsequently become tense or, conversely, underactive – The resulting muscle imbalance can place increased stress on the joint, aggravating the joint dysfunction that already exists.

Muscle Dysfunction From Whiplash Injuries

When joint dysfunction develops, muscles are affected. Some muscles respond by becoming tense and overactive, while others respond by becoming inhibited and underactive.  In either case, these muscles can develop trigger points that may necessitate whiplash treatment involving muscle relaxation or stimulation.

Trigger points are areas of congestion within the muscle where toxins accumulate.  These toxins can irritate the nerve endings within the muscle and produce pain.  This whiplash pain can occur in the muscle itself or can be referred pain (perceived in other areas of the body).

The muscle can also send abnormal neurological signals into the nervous system, which can then cause disruption of the ability of the nervous system to properly regulate muscles in other parts of the body, leading to the development of faulty movement patterns.

Faulty Movement Patterns and Whiplash Pain

It is thought that the intense barrage of pain signals from a traumatic whiplash injury to the cervical spine can change the way the nervous system controls the coordinated function of muscles.  The disruption of coordinated, stable movement is known as faulty movement patterns.

Faulty movement patterns cause increased strain in the muscles and joints, leading to neck pain and back pain.  They can involve the neck itself or can arise from dysfunction in other areas of the body such as the foot or pelvis.

Instability is also considered part of faulty movement patterns.  There are 2 types of instability that can occur in whiplash: Passive instability- the ligaments of the neck are loosened, making it more susceptible to whiplash pain – Dynamic instability- the nervous system disruption causes a disturbance in the body’s natural muscular response to common, everyday forces.

As a result of instability, even mild, innocuous activities can be difficult to perform as they often exacerbate the whiplash pain.

Whiplash Pain From a Herniated Disc

The force of whiplash can cause injury to the discs between the vertebrae, and small tears can develop. If the gelatinous middle of the disk seeps out, it can irritate the nerve endings in this area.  This is known as disc derangement.

Occasionally, the gel can seep all the way out and press on a nerve root exiting the spinal cord behind the disc, known as disc herniation.

A herniated disc may involve whiplash pain in the neck as well as sharp, shooting pain down the arm and possibly neurological symptoms such as numbness, tingling and muscle weakness.