Keegan Chiropractic Sports & Wellness Clinic
44355 Premier Plaza
130
Ashburn, VA 20147
More Complementary & Integrative Healthcare Articles
Neck Pain Are Those Old Injuries Coming Back To Haunt You?
Driving in Northern VA can be a precarious endeavor that most of us have to carry out on a daily basis. So statistically speaking it is highly probable that you may have been involved in a fender bender. The most common issue I see at this office involving auto accidents is the rear-ender. There you are sitting at a stoplight and the person behind you doesn't stop until after they have used your car to slow them down.
A lot of the time with these accidents the actual damage to the car is minimal, but when that happens the forces imparted on you, the driver are increased. Sometimes the pain doesn't even show up until two days after the accident. Often we just let it go and figure it will go away. It can go away, but not without leaving some drastic changes in its wake.
Common after effects of these accidents are decreased range of motion in the neck, neck pain, stiffness, shoulder tension, headaches, arm pain, numbness, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, and dizziness to name a few. The cause of these issues is change that occurs in the neck after a whiplash type injury.
When you are hit from behind the neck is forcibly hyperextended and flexed, and the muscles and ligaments are stretched and torn. As they heal, they can heal with compromised functionality. Without proper therapy the vertebrae in the neck may not properly stack up, normal spinal curves are changed and you adapt to this change by losing the function you once had. These adaptations can cause long term changes and dysfunction in the spine, resulting in pain and the other symptoms listed above.
If you have had an accident, even if it is minor, please think about your long term well-being and get yourself checked out. Often it only requires a few treatments to restore normal function.
