Whiplash Neck Injury Treatment In Kuala Lumpur
Whiplash neck injury damages the supporting ligaments and muscles in your neck, upper back, and other body parts, including the lower back, shoulders, knees, and feet. Rear-end car accidents are the most common cause of whiplash neck injuries. Other reasons, such as sports, roller coaster rides, and abuse, may also lead to a whiplash neck injury. Regardless of the cause, CSC offers the best whiplash neck injury treatment in KL.
Yama Zafer, D.C. (Doctor of Chiropractic with 26 years of experience)
Car Accidents & Whiplash Injuries
Whiplash is a neck injury that happens when your neck jerks back and forth quickly and violently, causing your spine to bend past its normal range of motion. The sudden forward then backward or vice movement of the head can injure the vertebrae (spinal bones) of your cervical spine (neck).
However, car accidents are not the only way that causes a whiplash injury. It may happen when an individual experiences a quick jerking on a rollercoaster ride, contact sports such as football, or physical abuse.
A Whiplash neck injury can be excruciating. You may feel stiffness, discomfort, or pain in your neck at the time of your injury, or it may begin days or weeks later. Moreover, you may also feel stiffness, discomfort, or pain in your shoulders, back and arms. Also may even have headaches, migraines, and dizziness.
Sometimes, it may cause hearing, vision, or memory complications, which can become chronic problems. Therefore, we wouldn’t advise a wait-and-see and often encourage everyone involved in a car accident or sports injury to get a thorough assessment by one of our clinical team members at CSC (Chiropractic Specialty Center®). CSC in Kuala Lumpur has Malaysia’s most experienced doctor of chiropractic with over 26 years of expertise in treating whiplash injuries and sports injuries; contact us today to schedule a thorough assessment.
CSC’s Whiplash Neck Injury Treatment In Kuala Lumpur
Getting the proper whiplash treatment for your injuries in the early stages is critical. Typically whiplash neck injuries are treated through medication (pain management), rest, cervical collar, chiropractic, physiotherapy, and rehabilitation. Your medical doctor can prescribe the medication you need, and the therapies you need are best done at CSC in one of our KL branches (Bukit Damansara or Sri Petaling).
Top chiropractors and clinical physiotherapists provide CSC’s whiplash neck injury treatment programs collaboratively. CSC’s clinical teams will use gentle methods of treatment through hands-on methods and therapy devices such as ultrasound therapy, electrotherapy, high-intensity laser therapy, or one of our many other therapeutic devices specific for injured ligaments, muscles, and joints. Our collaborative and integrative treatment approach aims to get your injuries better faster.
You may need a cervical collar for patients with cervical instabilities. If our clinical team prescribes you a cervical collar, you should wear them during wake hours. In addition to the cervical collar, we encourage you to ice the injured areas 3-5 times daily for 15 minutes. Icing the injured parts decreases swelling and improves your rate of recovery.
What Is A Whiplash Injury?
A Whiplash is a neck injury that results from an accident that forces your head to snap like a whip forward and backward. Whiplash neck injuries can also occur when the head is forcibly thrown from side to side when the passenger or driver side of the car is struck head-on by another vehicle (“T-bone” or “side-impact”). Whiplash neck injury damages the soft tissues (muscles and ligaments), joints, spinal cord, or spinal nerves of the neck and upper back.
What Is The Actual Meaning Of Whiplash?
Whiplash is a layperson term for hyperflexion-hyperextension. The word “Whiplashing” was first used in 1928 by Harold Crowe to define a type of head trauma where the body is accelerated rapidly backward, then forwards again. Later, the name was expanded to cover any neck-related injuries caused by rapid decelerations. By the 1980s, whiplash was expanded to cover any type or combination of neck-related injuries caused after a car crash.
The meaning of whiplash in terms of injury is a sudden jerk or jolt of the head from the front to back or from side to side, typically in car accidents, sports, or falls. Another definition of whiplash is a sudden and unexpected whipping of the head and neck from car accidents, contact sports, or diving injuries that damage the ligaments, muscles, joints, and spinal discs of the neck and upper back, which manifest a wide range of symptoms that are now known as “Whiplash Associated Disorders” or WAD.
Common Causes
The most common cause of a whiplash neck injury is a motor vehicle collision (car accident) that injures the ligaments, muscles, spinal discs, nerves, spinal cord, and other tissues, including blood vessels. Here is our list of causes from most common to least:
- Auto accident: Rear-end collisions are the most common cause of a whiplash neck injury, but it also occurs with other car accidents, including side-impact accidents.
- Contact sports: The probability of whiplash neck injury increases when players colloid at high speeds or if an individual hits the ground at full speed. Contact sports such as football or sports where players tackle each often result in whiplash-like injuries. Physical assault may also occur when pushed, pouched, or shaken. The shaken baby syndrome is an all too common whiplash neck injury impacting severe and life-threatening injuries to infants, babies, and toddlers.
- Diving mishaps: Spinal cord and neck injuries often occur with diving mishaps.
What Are Whiplash Symptoms?
Symptoms include aches and pain in muscles and joints or neurological issues. We have listed some of the most common signs and symptoms of whiplash injuries below:
- Neck pain, stiffness, or discomfort with or without movement
- Upper back pain, mid-back, or lower back pain
- Decrease or limited range of motion in the neck or other parts of the body
- Headaches & migraines
- Numbness, tingling, or weakness in arms or legs
- Muscle cramps, tightness, or muscle spasms
- Tingling, numbness, or burning sensations in arms or legs
- Dizziness, nausea, or vomiting
- Blurred vision or double vision
- Ringing in the ears (tinnitus) or loss of balance
- Difficulty concentrating, confusion, or memory loss
- Speech difficulties, slurred speech, or drooping eyelids
- Fatigue, memory loss, irritability, difficulty with concentration & sleep disturbances
- In severe cases, some may experience seizures, fainting, coma, paralysis, brain damage, or any combination thereof.
However, it is essential to note that most whiplash victims don’t have any signs or symptoms of whiplash for months. In some cases, the symptom may appear months to years later. As such, you should always see a specialist who is acutely familiar with whiplash neck injuries, especially the hidden soft tissue injuries of the neck or back that hunts most years later.
Chiropractic Specialty Center® in Kuala Lumpur is the best physiotherapy and award-winning chiropractic clinic for whiplash injury treatment. Our leading chiropractor in Damansara Heights has over 26 years of experience treating whiplash victims through advanced chiropractic combined with physiotherapy, exercise, and rehabilitation; WhatsApp CSC in Kuala Lumpur today for a thorough assessment and treatment today.
Can Other Parts Of The Body Get Injured From An Auto Accident?
Contrary to what most believe, whiplash can injure any muscle, ligament, or joint. However, most often complain of neck and upper back pains. But, mid-back, lower back, shoulders, arms, wrists, hips, knees, ankles, and feet also get injured.
What To Do If You Are Involved In An Accident?
If you are injured, avoid moving, call for emergency services or get someone to make the call for you. Going to the emergency room is a hassle but could avoid lifelong impairments or worse. Pain that worsens with movement requires a visit to the emergency room because it’s better to be safe.
If you pass out, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or experience headaches, tingling, weakness, or difficulty swallowing or talking. You must seek immediate medical attention at the nearest emergency room because these symptoms could indicate a serious condition called a concussive head injury (traumatic brain injury or TBI).
Car accidents that damage the bumper or airbags’ deployment are tell-tale signs of a definite injury regardless of the pain. In other words, if the bumper of your car is badly damaged, the small joints in your upper neck are also damaged. The problem is that the injuries are hidden in most instances and may not cause stiffness, pain, or discomfort for hours, days, weeks, or months. Therefore, if your car is damaged, get yourself checked within days or weeks, even if you have no pain.
Document everything by taking photos of your car, the other car, the inside of your vehicle, the airbags if deployed, and any visible abrasions, cuts, or bruises. Moreover, photos and documentation of the damaged car help determine the severity of the impact and injuries caused. You may need it later if you file a claim for insurance coverage.
When To Seek Help Or See A Doctor?
Suppose you have been involved in an accident. In that case, you need to see an experienced doctor who has treated many whiplash injuries. Even if your accident was minor or the emergency room you visited tells you everything is okay, you should still see a specialist in whiplash neck injuries.
Most medical doctors ignore mild aches and pains of whiplash victims by handing them a bunch of pills, reassuring them that they will feel better in 3 to 5 days. While the majority may feel better within a few days after the accident, most will experience a frequent flare-ups. And the majority of those with rear-end collisions at speeds greater than 25km will experience persistent or recurring symptoms several months to years after their car accident.
Advice From CSC’s Chiropractor With 26 Years Of Experience Treating Whiplash Victims
Get a thorough assessment if you have been involved in a car accident at speeds of 15km or higher. Individuals with smaller physical statures, kids, the elderly, and those with existing neck and back pain would get checkout even if the accident were at low speeds. And suppose your assessments were all within normal ranges. In that case, you should get a re-assessment within six months because most hidden whiplash injuries become medically observable months after an injury.
According to a published report, rear-end car accidents at speeds above 15km can cause whiplash and neck injury.
Identify and rectify hidden whiplash injuries by contacting CSC today. If you have been in a car accident, call our office and get assessed by our leading chiropractor in Kuala Lumpur today, we can help.
What Is The Best Treatment For Whiplash Injuries Of The Neck & Back?
Pain medication, muscle relaxers, anti-inflammatory drugs, chiropractic, physiotherapy, and exercise are treatments commonly provided for whiplash neck or back injuries. Painkillers, muscle relaxers, and anti-inflammatory drugs help with symptoms. Still, they fail to fix or repair the damaged soft tissues. As such, drugs and medication are a dismal method of treating whiplash neck injuries or those that cause pain in the back or other joints.
Some would have you believe that treating the symptoms of whiplash is all you need. This is a common approach when accident victims have been prescribed a handful of painkillers and anti-inflammatory medication at their doctors’ offices or emergency rooms.
An integrative system of treatments is the best method of treating whiplash neck injuries or back pain resulting from whiplash. The best treatment for whiplash injuries of the neck or any other body part is through therapeutic procedures incorporating chiropractic, physiotherapy, and personalized rehabilitation with medication or supplements. The aim of supplements and medication is to decrease swelling and pain, while chiropractic and physiotherapy repair damaged soft tissues.
CSC in Kuala Lumpur offers the best integrative methods of care. Our center’s chiropractors and physiotherapists work closely with your doctor or one of our preferred medical doctors to help you get back on your feet soonest.
Important Factors That Help Identify Severity Of Whiplash Injury
Whiplash is an “acceleration-deceleration” injury in which the sudden snapping of the head and neck injures the neck and upper back. The extent or severity of a whiplash injury depends on several factors, such as:
- Type of injury: The type of injury that caused the whiplash may provide insight into the extent and severity of the damage. Therefore, it’s essential to know if the whiplash was related to a fall, car accident, diving mishap, or sports injury.
- The mechanism of injury: The mechanism of injury, especially in car accidents, can provide additional information on the severity of injured tissue. There are three main types of car accidents; front-end collisions, rear-end collisions, and side collisions, also known as a “T-bone” accident.
- Position of the head and neck during impact: The position of the head and neck at the moment of a car accident mattes. Looking up or sideways leads to cartilaginous and ligamentous injuries in the upper neck or at the base of the skull.
Most car accidents that cause a whiplash injury may not have any signs or symptoms. The impact of whiplash, such as those experienced during a car accident, may not be readily present. Sometimes, they feel the car accidents impact days, weeks, or months later. Signs and symptoms of whiplash-related injuries are classified in various clinical manifestations known as WAD (Whiplash-Associated Disorders).
What Is A Whiplash Associated Disorder?
Most car accidents that cause a whiplash injury may not have any signs or symptoms. The impact of whiplash, such as those experienced during a car accident, may not be readily present. Sometimes, they feel the car accidents impact days, weeks, or months later. Signs and symptoms of whiplash-related injuries are classified in various clinical manifestations known as WAD (Whiplash-Associated Disorders).
The issue with whiplash injuries resulting in WAD (Whiplash Associated Disorders) is its long-term impact on the spine and your nervous systems. If you are a whiplash injury victim, you need a detailed assessment of your neck’s soft tissues by an expert familiar with whiplash-like injuries. CSC’s leading chiropractor has over 26 years of experience treating neck and back pain, including those sustained during whiplash injuries, sudden falls, or sports; contact our main center now to book an appointment today.
Whiplash Recovery
Whiplash recovery usually involves a combination of rest, chiropractic, physical therapy, physiotherapy, and pain management. While your medical doctor can prescribe medications you need for pain management, we can fix and repair hidden and obvious injuries sustained during your car accident. CSC’s Yama Zafer, D.C. (Doctor of Chiropractic), is an experienced doctor of chiropractic with over two decades of experience helping whiplash-injured patients recover through integrative methods.
Whiplash Associated Disorders (WAD) include a range of whiplash symptoms related to the neck, head, back, and extremities. WAD commonly occurs after motor vehicle accidents or diving mishaps. Evidence suggests that recovery from whiplash is best if you get chiropractic care combined with physiotherapy after a car accident or events where whiplash injuries can arise, which is helpful in the avoidance of developing chronic whiplash-related symptoms.
Quebec Task Force Classification Of Whiplash Neck Injury
The Quebec Task Force Classification of neck whiplash injury is based on five grades starting from zero (0) to IV (four), zero being no pain and no physical findings of an injury, while grade four presents with symptomatic bodily injury; we have noted all five grades below:
- Grade 0: Is given to whiplash victims who present without any signs or symptoms of neck pain or WAD (Whiplash Associated Disorders.
- Grade I: In grade 1, the patient will have neck or upper back stiffness and discomfort. However, grade I whiplash patients will not have any observable physical findings during the clinical examination as these injuries are often hidden.
- Grade II: Grade 2 classified whiplash injury patient presents with neck and upper back complaints and associated musculoskeletal disorders and symptoms as listed in the WAD list. Patients will have observable, objective findings, including loss of motion, tenderness, and positive orthopedic tests. However, grade II whiplash injuries will not have a detectable neurological deficit.
- Grade III: Grade 3 whiplash injury patients will experience pain in the neck pain and upper back issues that produce pain and tenderness at the top of the shoulders and arms. Patients may present numbness, tingling, or burning sensations that doctors can objectively record through neurological assessments.
- Grade IV: A grade 4 whiplash is a severe injury with documented fractures or dislocations of injured parts. Grade IV neck whiplash injury patients often present with spinal disc bulges, protrusions, or herniations.
CSC treats the primary and secondary signs and symptoms of whiplash neck injuries holistically and collaboratively with advanced methods and breakthrough therapy devices; contact us today to learn about CSC’s whiplash neck injury treatment in Kuala Lumpur.