Unfortunately, there may come a time in your life where you sustain minor whiplash. This could come from getting in a car accident, getting into an altercation, becoming injured on some kind of ride, or even just having your body get whipped around in another way. So if and when this happens to you, it’s wise to know how you should best take care of yourself so that you can get back to normal as quickly as possible.
To help you with this, here are three tips for taking care of yourself after minor whiplash.
Seek Out A Medical Opinion
One of the first things that you should do when you have any kind of neck injury or have sustained whiplash is to seek out medical advice. Whiplash isn’t normally something that you can’t diagnose on your own. So if you think you have whiplash bad enough that it will require more than a bit of rest and relaxation, talking with a doctor about what happened and what you should do next can really help.
If you’re in a lot of pain or had something very traumatic happen, doctors can run tests and do imaging to see just how much damage was done and what course of action is going to be best for you to start feeling better.
Consider Using Helpful Medications
While you’re trying to get your neck, back, and body feeling better after whiplash, it can often be helpful to use certain medications for a short period of time. Medicines that focus on reducing inflammation and that reduce pain can be particularly helpful during the first few days after an injury. Some of these medications might require a medical prescription while others can be taken over-the-counter.
As you take medications for pain, keep in mind that you won’t want to take them for too long. Pain medications can quickly become addictive and can make it harder for you to tell if your injury is getting better or worse. If you feel that you have to continue taking pain medication weeks after an injury, you’ll want to visit your doctor again to better assess what’s going on.
Get Movement Back In Your Neck
In the past, people used to think that immobilizing your neck after an injury was the best thing to do. And while you don’t want to put too much stress and strain on your neck right after an injury, you do want to try to get some movement back into it.
With simple exercises like tilting your head, rotating your neck, rolling your shoulders, and bending your neck forward and backward, you can get some of your range of motion back as well as stretching out muscles that may have tightened up.
If you’ve had a neck injury like minor whiplash, consider implementing some of the tips mentioned above to help you start healing up and feeling better.
