The Benefits of Active Stretching With Physical Therapy for Whiplash Injuries Caused in a Car Accident
Has your car accident left you with a pain in the neck? Whiplash injuries resulting from a car crash can make even the simplest tasks feel like a challenge. These injuries can leave us with long-lasting pain, muscle stiffness, and restricted movement.
But here’s the good news: Physical therapy, particularly active stretching, can be a powerful tool in helping to heal your neck. Our spine doctors at Tampa Spine and Wellness understand the frustration of dealing with persistent neck pain after a car accident and are committed to helping you recover. Below, we take a closer look at the common signs of whiplash and how active stretching with a physical therapist can propel your recovery forward.
What are Whiplash Injuries?
Whiplash is most commonly associated with car accidents. This is because it frequently occurs in a fender bender, such as when one car bumps into the back of another. This force can cause the neck to suddenly jerk forward and then back. However, it’s worth noting that whiplash can also happen in falls or due to contact in sports.
And you might not even know you have whiplash immediately after the accident. In many cases, it can take hours or days for the symptoms to arise.
When they do, common symptoms frequently include:
Neck pain and stiffness
Reduced range of motion
Headaches
Tenderness in the shoulders and upper back
Dizziness
Feeling tired
If you’re experiencing a combination of the above symptoms, you may have whiplash. Thus, it’s likely worthwhile seeking out medical care so you can pave your way toward making a full recovery. Below, we explore why active stretching with a physical therapist might be a worthwhile component of your recovery plan.
How Does Stretching With Physical Therapy Help?
So, how exactly does physical therapy help you heal from a whiplash injury? While a physical therapist has many techniques that can help, active stretching is one of the major avenues used to help relieve symptoms associated with whiplash.
With that in mind, here are three key ways active stretching helps!
1. Stretching Reduces Pain
With the persistent pain and discomfort that comes with injures caused by whiplash can interfere with our daily activities, leaving us feeling stressed, anxious, less productive and exhausted. However, one of our Physical Therapist can help you manage the pain with stretching.
Active stretching helps alleviate any tension or stiffness in the affected area, which will lead to decreased pain. These exercises also help increase blood flow in the affected area, which brings all the nourishment the cells need for your body to heal itself.
2. Improves Flexibility
With a whiplash injury, you might find it painful to turn your head from side to side when trying to look over your shoulders. Inevitably, this can make driving, sleeping, and other daily activities become ever increasingly difficult. So, how exactly can active stretching help with the lack of flexibility?
With active stretching the muscles around the neck are elongated, which will usually ease tightness/tension and stiffness felt in the neck after a whiplash injury. After an active stretching session, you will notice less pain with moving your neck around in different directions as well as being able to move with greater ease. In fact, our physical therapist will continue to monitor your progress by measuring your improvements in flexibility and range of motion at set intervals throughout your treatment plan.
3. Accelerates Healing
Since active stretching increases blood flow, this usually contributes to a faster and more effective recovery than just waiting out the pain. Think about it: Our circulatory system is the main highway throughout the human body, delivering nutrients to the cells in the areas where it is needed. This improved blood flow to the injured areas of your neck will receive the nutrients the body needs to heal its self. In other words, active stretching is another great technique used by our physical therapists and chiropractors used towards helping you make a full and efficient recovery.
Have you recently experienced a car accident in Tampa? Do you suspect you might have whiplash? Our physical therapists and chiropractors in Tampa are here to help. Contact the Tampa Spine and Wellness team today! We’ll support your recovery every step of the way, helping you overcome whiplash and other pain issues.
Comentários