Life after injury: "Acute Stage for Whiplash"-- What your therapist should know

Accident happens...

Doesn't it sound like a TV commercial for an insurance company? We buy insurance for our cars, to cover at least half of the damaged vehicle. After the accident we are hoping that the damage will not be so devastating. However, what people don't realize is how devastating the impact after the accident to our body. After accident, people are more shaken of what just happened to them than anything.

The impact of the accident, however, causes many problems when the body left untreated. Concussion is probably the first thing that concerns your medical professionals. People forget that whiplash can cause a lot of damages as well. What exactly is whiplash?

Whiplash is an injury that caused by acceleration-deceleration movement of the head and neck. Due to the delicate structures of the head and the neck, tissues around them will suffer the most damage. Different impact causes damage to different structure of the head and neck. For example, front impact will cause more damage to the anterior (front) side of the neck rather than the posterior (back) side. In this case, it's very important to tell your therapist exactly how and where the accident occurs and inform him/her as much as you can. You also need to know the impact of whiplash may be greater when you have a bad posture, wearing seat belt, and so on. A person that has a shorter stature, might have more of viscera (organ) damage, where as a person that has a taller stature might have more of structural damage. All of these details need to be informed to your therapist, so he/she will know where to begin the treatment.

As we talked about in "Acute vs Chronic Injury" article, the acute stage in any injuries normally within 24- 48 hours. However, in whiplash is a little bit different. After the accident, sometimes the body creates so much adrenaline, cause the pain sensory blockage for a short period of time. Therefore, most cases the body will feel the pain much later then what is expected. In whiplash the acute stage is considered within 24-72 hours. Usually the symptoms start to occur in the last 24 hours of the acute phase.

The symptoms of whiplash includes: Stiffness in the neck, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), headache, forgetfulness, vertigo, and blurred vision. Improperly treated whiplash can cause D.D.D.(Degenerative Disc Disease, a.k.a: bulging disc), early Osteoarthritis, Subluxation of the vertebrae (spine becomes improperly aligned), nerve root impingement and so on. Your therapist should be able to help you after a period of 72 hours (past the acute stage). A proper orthopedic testing should be given to narrow down the treatment and to target a specific muscle of the neck. Approval from M.D. is always highly recommended.

Written by: Friska Streeter, L.M.T

Contact info:
Friska Streeter, L.M.T
708-769-1803
www.lestari.radiusweb.net

Acute vs Chronic Injury, How to Choose the Right Therapist

For those who never have a clinical massage session after any injuries, choosing your therapist can be a crucial matter. You need to find a knowledgeable therapist who knows about your medical condition. This therapist have to be able to modify the treatments according to the stages of the injury.

In any injuries, there are four healing stages:

Within 1- 2 days, it's considered an acute stage. That means your therapist needs to refer you to an M.D. Any massage therapists shouldn't handle any acute conditions, so that the client will be handled with a proper medical attention.

Within 2 days- 2 weeks, it's considered an early sub-acute stage. Which in this case, your therapist should be able to work peripheral (away from) the injury site. The therapist should realize that at this stage, muscle spasm is needed as a way the body to protect its structure. Therefore, your massage therapist should not diminish all the muscle spasms.

Within 3 weeks, it's considered a late sub-acute stage. Which in this case, scar tissue may be developed to quickly fix the injury site. Your therapist should be able to work closer to the injury site. This stage is also the most ideal stage for your therapist to start breaking down the scar tissue, because the untreated scar tissue may decrease the "Range of Motion" of the joint near the site.

Within 3 weeks- 1 year, it's considered a chronic stage. At this point your therapist should release most trigger points ("knot") in your muscles and work directly at the injury site. The goal of your therapist should be able to alleviate majority of your clinical symptoms and musculoskeletal ailments.

The time line of these stages may vary depending on the severity and the type of the injuries. However, last but not least, it's always a good idea to consult your therapist and other medical professional before you start the healing process.

Written by: Friska Streeter, L.M.T. ***(see also "acute stage for whiplash")

Contact info: Friska Streeter, L.M.T.
(708) 769-1803-- private practice at Mokena, IL
www.lestari.radiusweb.net