Accidents and injuries are common place. You can get whiplash from a sports or car accident or by even by just falling down. In fact, repetitive motion can give the same effect as an accident. Sometimes the effects aren’t felt for years; more often they are felt immediately in the form of headaches, pains, stiffness of the neck etc.

After an injury the immediate pain may diminish, the swelling may go down, and the muscles seemingly return to normal. BUT, that is rarely the actual case.

Such injuries should be treated as soon as possible, otherwise the body may try to compensate for the injury and compound the problem. For example, you may find yourself bending, favoring one leg, hunching, etc.

It’s interesting that women tend to more in tune with their bodies than men. Men often believe they should “tough it out” or “work through it,” often compounding the problem.

For example, if your back was wrenched from an automotive, sports, or work accident, the chances are your spine was pushed out of normal alignment. Whiplash is the most common term used, but is merely one of many things that can happen. The nerves, which travel through the spine, may be pinched or damaged as a result. Depending upon the location, it can affect your major organs such as your heart and lungs, or cause symptoms such as allergies or headaches to occur. Additionally, you may experience muscle impairment.

The medical term for a misalignment of a part of your spine is “subluxation.” Basically it is a part of the spine bone that is out of place. The bone is prodded back into place in a process called an “adjustment” performed by me, your chiropractor.

Unlike other medical practitioners who may give pills to hide the pain or recommend more intrusive procedures such as surgery, chiropractors help the body heal itself. So, unless it’s a medical emergency such as bleeding or a broken bone, consider letting a chiropractor help the body to heal itself as your first option.