WHIPLASH INJURIES often occur after a motor vehicle accident (MVA). The trauma comes from the rapid acceleration and deceleration of the neck that occurs upon impact. The most common symptoms of whiplash are neck pain and stiffness, or arm pain or numbness.
More direct techniques, like high velocity, low amplitude (HVLA), should be avoided when treating acute whiplash injuries, as they have the potential to aggravate the muscle spasms. For this reason, indirect techniques like myofascial release, balanced ligamentous tension, counterstrain, and cranial osteopathy, are often used with a much better response.
With whiplash, it’s not just the neck that experiences trauma, but the entire body. To effectively treat whiplash, then, we have to take a whole body approach to healing. Without the proper treatment, people can suffer pain and other symptoms for weeks, months, or even years after the event. Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is a safe, natural, and effective way to alleviate these symptoms and assist in quicker recovery.
TransValley Family Health 