My accident was a few years ago….can that be the cause of my pain today?

Yes, it could. Let’s take a brief look at how your neck could be injured in a whiplash situation, how to obtain whiplash pain relief in Dickson and why a trauma from years earlier can produce symptoms today.

Even in motor vehicle collisions with substantial car damage, symptoms rarely come on the day of the injury. When symptoms do occur immediately, this is a sign that the injury to the neck was even more severe.

In most accidents, we at first feel a bit shaken up and shocked more than anything else. When the vehicle has a great amount of damage, this can completely take over our thoughts; such as “How am I going to drive to work tomorrow?” All we are thinking is we need to get the car into the shop and arrange for a rental.

If a neck pain begins, we may take a few over the counter pain pills and the pain may seem much better, even cured. But whiplash is much less straightforward than a simple tight muscle from over exertion.

Whiplash causes the neck bones to displace from the stretched ligaments and disks. Over months, the bones gradually creep further into the direction of the damaged ligaments. Since gravity is working all of the time, the tendency is for the misalignments to get worse as time continues.

Our initial “little problem” has now become much worse because scar tissue has formed to hold the neck in this abnormal position. This may cause some joints to become less mobile and other joints to become hypermobile in an effort to compensate. Over time, this places stress on or irritates the nerves and spinal cord which produces more pain that might eventually “drive you” to seek chiropractic care in Dickson.