I can still recall being parked at the same light, the familiar light at Main-street. I had been listening to something on the stereo, unaware of any proximal dangers. I had my window rolled down and I had been watching a group of outlandishly dressed kids dancing in front of a pub. All I can recall was seeing stars, because what happened came out of nowhere.
I had, as you can guess, been hit by a car. More specifically, I had been rear-ended. Apparently people still drink and drive, who would have known? After the initial impact I went into a general panic-mode. I burst from my seat, my body aching, but able to move. I went through the general procedure, checking to make sure that the other driver was okay and so forth. The police soon arrived, and then I was off on my way with an ugly, mangled bumper. I was happy to be alive.
The following days I began to experience grueling pains in my back and upper-neck. I knew that I had whiplash, but I wasn’t sure how to go about treating it. I did the normal thing and went to see a doctor. Sure, they had oodles of prescriptions, and being the trusting consumer that I was, I was happy to take them off their hands. Yes, these medicines temporarily made my pain go away. But they also made me loopy, frazzled, tired and nauseous. They did not correct the problem. I was at a temporary loss.
What Exactly is Whiplash?
Whiplash is a number of injuries that a person can experience as a result of a sudden distortion of the neck. Whiplash is the name of the injury that occurs after the impact. It occurs when a sudden jolt stretches the spine, tearing and stretching ligaments. The head snaps forward, then back again. This can result in the spine creating an “S” shape.
Research Made it Clear
After doing a bit of research (and speaking with others who also had experienced whiplash), it became apparent that what I needed was not medicine, but physical therapy and chiropractic help. My doctors scoffed at the idea of a chiropractor, but I was willing to do whatever it took to alleviate my pain. I was also not ecstatic about invasive surgeries and zombifying pain medications. I was on a quest to cure my ailment with holistic measures.
Holistic Treatment for Whiplash
There are a number of measures that one can take in order to help heal injuries naturally. Not only are these measures much less costly, but generally they yield better results. As a society, we have become obsessed with eating organic foods and changing our light-bulbs to lessen energy consumption, so why are we wasting so much time, money and effort on non-holistic forms of treatment?
- Rest- Good old common rest. Just like a broken arm, your neck is injured. The body needs time to recover. Though rest is essential, just like everything else, too much can be harmful. The neck does need stimulation, otherwise one is more likely to suffer for a greater amount of time.
- Supplements- Any time that a bone is injured, it is paramount to analyze our diets. If we aren’t getting the nutrition that we need, our bodies will slow their rate of recovery. It is important to be getting extra calcium, vitamin D and iron to promote strong, healthy bones.
- Cervical Collar- A soft collar around the neck is like a cast. It helps to reduce unnecessary movement of the neck.
Seeing a Chiropractor
After deciding to fix my problem naturally, I did a simple search on the internet. Tons of chiropractors were available in my area. I spoke with a few friends (those who have been in car-accidents have experienced whiplash) about chiropractic care and I was recommended to quite a few. I went ahead choose a chiropractor in my area and had great success with the treatment I received.
What do Chiropractors do?
Chiropractors are a godsend to those of us with whiplash. Chiropractors are specifically trained to understand the way our bones work, move and function. In a sense, our spine is their specialty. Generally, treatment for whiplash consists of the chiropractor relaxing and stimulating the dysfunctional muscles. This is generally done by delicate stretches of the tense muscles. In addition, contractions of the inhibited muscle(s) may be rendered.
Essentially, the chiropractor administers finger pressures, contractions and muscle stimulations on trigger points to fix the problem from within. They also analyze your day-to-day regimes, including exercise and diet. You will be hard-pressed to find a chiropractor whose solution is to jam pills down your throat.
Through holistic treatment may not be for everyone, it is the solution for the common-case. Indeed, some people are greatly injured and do require medication and surgery. For most of us though, this is not the case. In the end, rest and seeing a chiropractor is all that I required.
Author: Alexandra Meehan is a freelance writer who loves the outdoors. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys poetry, biking and taking trips to the beach. Alexandra is consumed by environmental impact and holistic health which is why she prefers treatments such as chiropractic from her Placerville CA chiropractor instead of turning to prescriptions to treat pain.
