The term whiplash can mean a lot of things. In this case, it refers to an injury caused around the neck muscles like the ligaments, tendons or even between the vertebrae. This injury can be caused due to various reasons like a car accident or a freak accident in a Las Vegas Strip Club. Consider the case of a car accident. Then, scientifically speaking, a sudden and rapid acceleration of the neck in the opposite direction as that of the body due to forward movement of the car due to collision can cause whiplash. Within the first fraction of a second, the head remains in the same place, while the body moves forward. This term is adopted because of the rubber band like motion that occurs within 300 milliseconds. The level of severity of the injury is dependent on a number of factors like the springy nature of the seat or even the height of the headrest.
When dealing with a car accident, car accident chiropractor will be the first choice to go to for neck and back related issues. However the treatment and recovery process of whiplash includes the approach from different disciplines of medicine. These include the involvement of specialized individuals like chiropractors, psychologists, neurologists, physical therapists and in some very rare cases – surgeons. The American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation recently published an article in 2009 about the relationship between three disciplines of medicine – clinical, psychological and functional health status. The research was done on the basis of investigation among patients who suffered from whiplash associated disorder (WAD). A total of 86 patients were used in the research and were asked questions related to pain, disability and psychological issues like depression and anxiety. The research was groundbreaking as psychological factors like depression and catastrophizing played bigger roles than most physical factors. It was finally concluded that psychologists were the most qualified professionals to aid in the treatment and cure of whiplash associated disorder.
The importance of this research showed how important factors apart from physical factors like range of motion was in the treatment of patients having chronic whiplash patients. Answering all injury related questions and specifying the details of the injury and helping cope with depression, anxiety and other psychological issues related to whiplash associated disorder is proven to be highly effective in its treatment. Positive affirmation like telling the patient that they are going to be fine can be extremely effective in helping deal with the psychological issues that the patient is likely to be facing. Explaining the difference between harm and hurt is crucial as the patient needs to understand that the popular belief that if it hurts, it is best not to do it, can do more harm than healing to the patient in the long run. This is because they may fail to even attempt things that may aid in their recovery. No matter, the severity of the case, it is always important to paint a positive picture to the patient to maintain their level of confidence and faith in their treatment aiding their process to getting better. Painting the picture that nothing can be done will lead the patient into unemployment and boredom which can greatly increase depression, anxiety as well as catastrophizing. The more recommended method is to give advice about staying active and to explore the boundaries associated with reasonable activities. Thus more priority must be given to psychological car accident treatment Las Vegas in the multidisciplinary treatment of whiplash associated disorder.
Dr Michael Reiss DC is the owner and operator of Las Vegas Car Accident Treatment Centers in Las Vegas, Nevada.
To learn more about him, check his site at Las Vegas Car Accident Centers