Q. Can you do anything for whiplash / neck pain ?
A. Yes there is normally immediate relief after the first visit.
Q. How many visits will I need ?
A. That usually depends on how long you have the problem. A recent injury heals more quickly. Between two to six visits is fairly normal.
Q. When can I have an appointment. ?
A Within a couple of days.
Q. How do I find your clinic ?
A. You can find directions to our office and contact details by going to "Book an Appointment”.
This injury is usually associated with being in a car accident but it can be caused by a sudden jolt of any kind. A person can get whiplash in any contact sport, racquet games, in falls, over energetic dancing etc. A child can get whiplash running and diving into a chair or sofa head first or in the many other ways they play.
Whiplash occurs when one or more of the twelve facet joints of the cervical vertebrae are stretched beyond their normal range of movement by a force which is greater than the muscles of the joints can absorb. The muscles are damaged and the joint does not return to within its normal range.
It is typical misalignment of the vertebrae. The joints get stuck outside their normal range of movement and that is the cause of the restriction of mobility in the neck.
In some cases pain from a whiplash injury will not be present until a few days after the injury occurs. There is a very simple explanation for this; when the vertebrae go out of alignment the body, using its innate intelligence tries to fix the problem. Some muscles of the affected facet joints are damaged so other muscles in the area contract to try to pull the joints back to within their correct area of movement.
These muscles produce a waste product which is mostly lactic acid and as this waste builds up the muscles get progressively sorer. The soreness will only go away when the joints go back into place, the muscles can relax and the blood flowing through them can flush out the lactic acid.
The medical profession, in general do not accept that the vertebrae do get misaligned. They call it ‘soft tissue damage’ and use general physiotherapy to treat it. This treatment can sometimes go on for months or years and still not solve the problem.
Many of the whiplash victims who have visited me have healed up quickly following the restoration of mobility to the affected joints. The sooner after receiving the injury that appropriate treatment begins the better the results.
I use Spinology, Massage and CranioSacral Therapy to correct the misalignments. That restores movement to the facet joints, the muscles can relax, blood flowing through them flushes out the lactic acid and this enables the body to heal itself.
Many of my clients will feel great relief from the first visit but it usually requires a few therapy sessions to help the body to fully heal itself.
Whiplash victims should not suffer for years after an injury. With timely intervention their symptoms should heal up in a few weeks.
The compensation culture is such that some people will not come to non medical people like us in case it will affect their ‘claim’.
I believe that to be a very misguided approach as any ‘compensation’ money will soon be gone and they can be left with their pain. An injury left untreated is less likely to heal fully than one which receives early attention.
