Whiplash Injuries
Sorry to hear that you’ve had an accident…
Once you’ve been cleared of more serious injuries, you have probably been sent home but feel sore and stiff and worried. A neck or back injury from a collision can be very scary. A whiplash injury is a sprain/strain of the spine and surrounding tissues. Like an ankle sprain, expect 2-8 weeks of modified activity in most cases.
We have an article on our website with some tips:
First Few Days after an Accident
Here are the Cliffs Notes:
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- Complete rest is rarely recommended. Don’t be afraid to get out for a light walk.
- Carrying >7 lbs will cause strain to the neck muscles. Use 2 hands and keep the load close to your chest.
- Be aware of how you are sitting at work, while driving, etc. When you are concentrating or straining to see, you may tend to lean your head forward. Readjust those shoulders over the hips, and ears over the shoulders frequently.
- After a shower, wearing a damp towel on your wet hair adds weight to your head that your neck muscles aren’t up to supporting. Vigorously shaking your head to style and dry your hair is too aggressive for the neck.
- Changing the laundry can be a challenge for the neck-either pulling wet, heavy jeans out of a washer, or looking into that front loading washer to make sure you got all the socks… Ask for help!
- Prolonged looking down makes the neck muscles work hard to hold your head up…bathing children in the tub, doing dishes, wiping muddy dog feet, reaching down into the freezer. Sometimes ‘restful activities’ such as reading or being on your phone are not restful for the neck. Check out our Tech Neck post for more info.
- Alberta = Snow After an injury, get help pushing the grocery cart through the snowy parking lot or doing the sidewalk shoveling. When we feel good, we don’t realize the effort that these activities require.
Be kind to yourself those first few days after an accident! Rest your neck. Our staff at Pursuit Physiotherapy would be happy to answer any of your questions.