Alternative Therapies

Injuries can often prevent you from getting on with work and functioning properly. They also cause considerable pain and mental trauma.

Whiplash injuries generally happen on the cervical vertebrae or on the neck. They are also referred to as Acute Soft Tissue Neck Sprain and can be of immense concern if not taken care of in time. When such an injury occurs, it is the tendons, muscles and ligaments that are stretched far beyond their normal motion. A severe injury can include injuries of the spinal cord or even neck fractures. Sometimes the whiplash symptoms may not be obvious straightaway, but may develop a little later.

Whiplash injuries can be fairly troublesome causing a significant amount of pain. Additionally, the treatments can often be expensive and symptoms can take a long time to heal. In such instances, it is always better to look for alternative therapies like acupuncture, chiropractic care, massage and Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation. These are certain non conventional alternative therapies that can be availed for treating whiplash pain.

·                                 Acupuncture is done by the insertion of ultra fine needles at particular locations on the skin to relieve the patient from pain.

·                                 Chiropractic care works well for back pain as it combines exercises and spinal manipulation.

·                                 In massage there is a kneading of tight neck muscles to provide relief. The neck muscles are then relaxed and a hot bath/ shower or a microwave warmed moist towel used to add comfort to the stressed muscles.

·                                 The Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation or the TENS is basically a device which applies a very mild electric-current to your skin to decrease pain. The idea is to interfere with the pain signal transmission so that chronic whiplash pain can be countered. It is often accompanied by appropriate exercises.

Often mobility exercises and cold compress are also used as therapies for treating chronic pain in the neck. It is crucial that these injuries are treated with apt medication and therapies in time or they may worsen and develop into more serious long term problems.