During a car accident, your body is thrown forward and backward at great speed. During the collision, your torso will be thrown one way while your head is thrown in the opposite direction. Between the impact itself and your safety belt tightening to secure you, your head will be thrown forward violently, which can strain muscles and ligaments, cause tears within your spinal discs, irritate nerves and even cause brain injury. Whiplash occurs not just because of the over-extension of your spinal column, but because of the extreme force and rapidness of the event.

Unfortunately, whiplash cannot be diagnosed through x-rays. And, the injuries caused by whiplash can be unpredictable. The age and general health of the patient, the size of the vehicles and the nature and severity of the accident will all produce different injuries. Each patient will show different symptoms and require customized chiropractic treatment. There are three signs that are strong indicators that you have whiplash:

Neck, Shoulder and Upper Back Pain:  This is the most common sign that you have suffered a whiplash injury. Often, you will experience much more pain the day after a car accident than you did the day it occurred. You may also feel stiff, or experience a reduced range of motion.

Light-headedness or Dizziness:  This is another common symptom of whiplash. It is caused by a bone being out of alignment. This can put pressure on nerves. Having even one bone out of place is enough to make you feel symptoms throughout your body.

Nausea:  It is not uncommon to be queasy in the hours and days after a car accident. The nausea is usually caused by dizziness and light-headedness.

It is important to visit us at Fox Chiropractic as soon as possible after your accident to begin treatment. Our chiropractic office is convenient to the Lafayette, Westminster and Broomfield, CO areas.