Whiplash, Herniated Neck, Radiculopathy, and Chiropractic Relief

Whiplash is one of the most devastating cervical/neck spinal injuries. Rapid acceleration and deceleration can be so powerful that it bruises, tears the muscles, ligaments, soft tissue, and herniates the neck’s discs. Chiropractic relief can take care of initial and late-onset symptoms. As symptoms develop, they typically take the form of radiculopathy pain. Depending on the severity of the whiplash the types of symptoms that can occur include:

• Swelling of the face
• Neck pain
• Shoulder and arms aching and pain
• Hands can swell and ache
• Loss of mobility
• Numbness or complete loss of feeling
• Symptoms can get worse indicating progressive nerve damage

If left untreated the individual can face long-term, chronic spine problems. Injury Medical Chiropractic Relief focuses on treating the whiplash, radiculopathy, and herniated discs at the source. After assessing the symptoms and the severity we can develop the most optimal treatment plan for the individual.

Radiculopathy

Radiculopathy is the result of a pinched nerve. This sends pain signals throughout the entire length of the nerve. With the neck’s nerve bundles, this means the pain travels as far as the face and hands. Tracing the extent of the radiculopathy informs the chiropractor as to which specific vertebrae have been affected. For example, if the nerve bundle in C7, which is the lowest neck vertebrae gets pinched, it can present in the arms. Another example, if chronic and persistent headaches or cheek pain are presenting, then C3-C4 will be the focus. The key is to look past the site of the pain and find its point of origin. Tracing referred pain quickly will allow the chiropractor to get a handle on the symptoms, even after the accident.  

Herniated discs

A major factor in radiculopathy is a herniated disc. Displaced discs are how nerve compression and signal disruption begins. Until the disc/s are realigned, corrected, and reset, the affected nerves will continue to suffer.

The Connection

Make mention of any vehicle accidents throughout life. This can help the chiropractor immensely in diagnosis. A severe case of whiplash can occur even if the airbag does not deploy. The rocking motion of the cervical spine is strong, meaning whiplash can happen at collisions as slow as 5 miles per hour. Whether a minor car accident, a roller coaster ride, or sports, the condition frequently presents long after the accident.  

Chiropractic Relief and Realignment

A chiropractor must put together the clues of a condition to hypothesize the cause. If experiencing pain symptomatic with recent neck trauma, it is essential to get checked. Injury Medical Chiropractic Clinic will address the condition before symptoms progress to a chronic condition.

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Body Composition

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The Function of Skeletal Muscle

Skeletal muscle is one of three major types of muscles in the body. The others are smooth and cardiac muscle. These muscles are attached to the bone by tendons. Skeletal muscles consist of nerves and blood vessels along with connective tissue to operate properly. These muscles consist of cells that come together and form bundles of skeletal muscle fibers. Strength training stimulates the muscle fibers and combined with proper nutrition causes the muscles to grow. Muscles contract and shorten pulling on the bone and joints. This is what causes body movement. The nervous system sends signals to the nerves in the muscle and trigger contractions. Besides movement, skeletal muscle helps maintain posture, generate body heat, and stabilizes the bones and joints.

Dr. Alex Jimenez’s Blog Post Disclaimer

The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, and sensitive health issues and/or functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate and support directly or indirectly our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We also make copies of supporting research studies available to the board and or the public upon request. We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation as to how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900. The provider(s) Licensed in Texas& New Mexico*

References

Rodriquez, Arthur A et al. “Whiplash: pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.” Muscle & nerve vol. 29,6 (2004): 768-81. doi:10.1002/mus.20060