What to Do for Whiplash at Home
Hello, and welcome to your go-to resource for dealing with whiplash from the comfort of your home. If you’re reading this, you’ve likely experienced a jarring, sudden movement that has resulted in discomfort or pain in your neck, often referred to as whiplash.
With decades of experience treating whiplash, I’m here to offer you a detailed guide to understanding this condition, along with effective at-home and professional treatment options. We’ll also offer some treatment options to pursue after the at-home exercises have run their course. Let’s dive in.
What is Whiplash?
Whiplash is a neck injury characterized by very fast acceleration and deceleration—think of it almost like cracking a whip. When the neck moves that quickly, the muscles often don’t have time to kick on to brace for the impact, so structures in the neck are often damaged in a whiplash injury.
Another common complication of a whiplash injury is damage to the brain and/or brain stem. When you think about it, it makes sense. The brain is the consistency of soft jelly, and when you move and stop really quickly, it can bounce off the inside of the skull. This leads to concussion-like symptoms, which can dramatically slow the healing of a whiplash injury.
The seven most common symptoms of a whiplash injury are nearly identical to the seven most common symptoms of concussion. Because of this, we’ll commonly refer to the two conditions interchangeably for the remainder of this article.
Symptoms of Whiplash
Neck pain and stiffness:
Typically, this discomfort begins within 24 hours after the incident, although it can appear sooner. You may notice a reduced range of motion and difficulty turning your head without moving the rest of your body.
Headaches:
These typically originate at the base of the skull and often travel down into the upper back. If there is neurologic damage, certain environments, like grocery stores, can also trigger headache symptoms.
Pain in the shoulders, upper back, or arms:
These symptoms may be indicative of muscle or ligament injury. A good test to see whether or not there is concussion-related tightness is to try and release the muscle tension via massage. If it doesn’t help, makes it worse, or the results are short-lasting, that’s a good sign that there is probably some neurologic mechanism contributing to the tightness.
Tingling or numbness in the arms:
An alarming but possible symptom, sometimes involving the nerves of the neck as they pass out of the cervical vertebrae. If you have these symptoms, you should consult a neurologist right away. They’ll usually take imaging to see if your spine has structural damage.
Fatigue:
General tiredness is common following a whiplash injury. Your battery drains much faster than before. You may also find certain situations or tasks drain you faster than others. It’s important to note these symptoms and keep track of what bothers you the most.
Dizziness and Light Headedness:
Most people use these interchangeably. Dizziness is defined as the sensation that you’re spinning. Lightheadedness happens when you stand up too fast and feel like the room is dark. They often occur together following a whiplash injury. Tell your doctors which one is happening more often so they know exactly what they’re dealing with.
At-Home Treatment Options for a Whiplash Injury
1. Controlled Rest and Activity
Generally, rest only as much as you need to initially. There will be a point between 4 and 14 days when you feel able to resume light activity. As soon as that happens, begin the “Buffalo Concussion Treadmill Protocol.” It’s light cardio that’s not intense enough to create symptoms. This will gradually increase your tolerance for activity and speed up recovery due to the neurochemicals exercise produces.
DO NOT sleep until you feel normal. There is a chance that day will never come, and resting for too long makes the recovery process much harder.
2. Cold and Heat Application
To decrease swelling, begin with cold treatments. Apply ice to the painful areas for 20 minutes a few times a day. Do this until the area begins to feel better, then begin with heat. In general, heat will loosen things, and cold will make them hurt less.
3. Over-the-Counter Pain Relief
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen, or acetaminophen, can help manage pain and swelling. Ask your primary healthcare provider how much and how often you should be taking them. Fish oil, curcumin, glutathione, and CBD are other helpful supplements to reduce inflammation.
4. Gentle Exercises and Stretches.
Incorporate gentle neck exercises to maintain flexibility and strength:
– Neck Tilts: While looking straight ahead, slowly tilt your head towards each shoulder. Press and hold the opposite trapezius muscle down for an extra stretch. You can also put a hard ball, like a lacrosse ball, on each trap and press it against a wall for more targeted relief.
– Chin Tucks: Poke your head and chin out before you, then slowly retract it. The cues we use in the clinic are “turtle head” for poking it forward and “double chin face” when retracting it back. It should target the deep neck muscles in the front of your body.
– Neck isometrics: A good place to start strengthening is by performing isometric exercises at every angle possible. This is done by performing something called the clock drill. Imagine your head is a clock, and the number 12 is right between your eyebrows. Press at noon for 10 seconds, then move slightly right to the edge of your eyebrow (now 1 o’clock on the clock face) and continue to press on each number. Take note of any places that hurt, and spend an extra 20 seconds on those areas.
5. Posture Awareness
Postural exercises can be helpful, especially if tightness is at the top of your neck. Poor posture tends to pull the shoulders forward and create extra tension in the neck.
Foam roll and stretch the following to improve posture immediately.
Perform the following exercises to strengthen the postural muscles necessary to keep your shoulders back and down.
6. Nutrition and Hydration
A healthy diet aids recovery. Stay hydrated and consume foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, and vitamins C and E. In general, eating foods that are high in antioxidants and healthy fats will improve your chances of completing recovery without lingering symptoms.
7. Mindfulness and Relaxation Techniques
Incorporate relaxation strategies like meditation, deep breathing exercises, or yoga to manage stress and relieve the muscular tension associated with whiplash. These strategies can also help you deal with some of the emotional challenges that come along with injuries of this nature.
Professional Treatment Options
Even with diligent at-home care, some whiplash injuries require ongoing, specialized care. The list above will get you started, but consider the following options if you need more specific care.
1. Physical Therapy
Physical therapy is a great route to consider first. It is usually covered by insurance and is generally well tolerated for musculoskeletal issues. The focus is primarily on mobility and strength, which are significant issues early on in care.
2. Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic is a good option if physical therapy doesn’t give you all the relief you were looking for. However, be careful with chiropractic following a whiplash injury. Sometimes, the neck is really tight because of the injury, and getting adjusted to create more motion will occasionally make things worse. We recommend starting with someone conservative and eventually moving up to traditional adjustments as you’re able.
3. Massage Therapy
Therapeutic massage may help alleviate muscle tension and improve blood flow, aiding recovery. A skilled massage therapist can work wonders on tight muscles caused by whiplash.
4. Injections
For cases that don’t respond to medication or therapy, corticosteroid injections into the painful area might be considered to reduce inflammation and pain. Consult your primary health care provider when considering these. In our experience, these are more of a bandaid until you can rehab the injury to completion. We don’t recommend relying on injections for long-term relief.
5: Functional Neurology
This is a discipline you see if the neurologist can’t find anything wrong. If this happens, it’s good news because nothing is broken. If you still have symptoms, it’s not functioning well, hence the term “functional neurology .”These providers are skilled at figuring out which parts are causing you symptoms and providing rehab to get them functioning normally again. They are a great option if you suspect there was any sort of concussive damage.
Conclusion
Recovering from a whiplash injury is no joke. It is often a windy road of progress and setbacks. We hope this guide has given you the information you need to make the right decision for your health and help you understand what to do for whiplash at home. When you apply this information, you can be sure you have the basics covered, and your next immediate need will be much easier to identify.
If you have questions about whiplash recovery, click here to schedule a complimentary consultation with one of our doctors. We’ve treated hundreds of complex neurologic cases and can help piece together the missing pieces in your recovery.
*Note: The information provided in this article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute a doctor-patient relationship. Patients should consult their medical provider or primary care physician before trying any remedies or therapies at home.
