Whiplash
At Rose Physical Therapy, in Washington DC, our physical therapists teach clients a variety of techniques to improve their well being to help recover from whiplash related injuries. We work with you during our one on one treatment sessions to identify areas of need or concern, and then implement a plan of care that is specific and personalized to you.
What is whiplash?
Whiplash injuries can happen from a few different injuries that include, but are not limited to: car accidents, sport collision injuries, or falls that physical therapists can help treat. The dramatic trauma of a car accident is what most people associate with whiplash, but the injury can occur from more mild jerks of the head.
Whiplash is a neck injury that is due to forceful or rapid and back and forth movement of the head and neck. Some symptoms of whiplash can include: neck pain and stiffness, painful movement, loss of range of motion in the neck, headaches, tenderness or pain in the shoulders, concussion, or even numbness and tingling in the shoulders or arms.
Whiplash generally occurs due to hyperextension and hyper-flexion of the spine. "Whiplash" is a non-medical term used to describe a force that abruptly pressures the neck forward and backwards. Whiplash is most often associated with auto accidents or contact sports, although any forceful blow to the head can cause whiplash and other associated injuries such as concussion.
Whiplash symptoms differ from patient to patient and often take days or weeks for the patient to notice after an initial impact. Whiplash symptoms are often acute, occuring right after the accident. But chronic whiplash symptoms that have been tolerated for years can also be controlled and in many cases permanently alleviated. It is also notable that chronic whiplash symptoms can be exacerbated by poor ergonomics and posture, which can also be addressed by a Rose physical therapist.
Rose uses advanced diagnostic and treatment techniques including McKenzie MDT® along with Graston Technqiues®, Active Release Techniques® (ART®), and the Maitland® Approach to address whiplash symptoms for permanent treatment. This allows us to personalize your treatment to address the following general whiplash symptoms:
- Neck and back pain and aching
- Neck stiffness and decreased range of motion
- Shoulder pain and stiffness
- Headaches (most commonly at the base of the skull radiating towards the forehead)
- Jaw pain
- Arm pain and weakness
- Fatigue
- Sensory disturbances, such as pins and needles
Some patients also experience cognitive symptoms of whiplash such as:
- Dizziness
- Ringing in the ears
- Visual disturbances, such as blurred vision
- Difficulty concentrating
- Memory problems
- Difficulty sleeping
- Irritability
Pain is usually felt in the neck and may radiate into shoulders, arms and head. Whiplash pain can be sharp or dull and may worsen with certain movements and postures. Patients may have restricted movement of their neck or feel that their head is heavy and difficult or painful to lift, off of a pillow for example.
How can Physical Therapy at Rose help?
Physical therapy can help reduce symptoms associated with whiplash injuries and restore function and movement through techniques such as specific exercises, concussion training, Graston, Trigger Point Dry Needling, Posture and Ergonomic assessment, McKenzie Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT), Active Release Techniques (ART), and many other specialized treatments. Each physical therapist works one on one with you for an hour treatment each time in order to create a specific plan of care and treatments tailored to your needs.
If you are experiencing any symptoms from a whiplash injury come into Rose Physical Therapy Group for an evaluation and steps to success. Physical Therapists at our downtown Washington DC location near Dupont Circle, or our office near Navy Yard near Capitol Hill in Southeast Washington, DC. Come in and let us help you get back to doing the things you like pain free!