Whiplash
Whiplash is a very controversial condition as there are many disputes about its existence, but also due to the way it is handled by the legal and medical system. Considering this, whiplash can be devastating for those inflicted.
The methods to treat chronic whiplash pain differ among pain clinics globally. Like any other condition, there is a varying degree of pain among cases.
Current International guidelines class Whiplash as a category 4 type injury.
WHIPLASH TREATMENT
The treatment regimen for Whiplash depends upon the severity and extent of the injury but can involve a combination of:
- Stretching
- Manual Therapy
- Postural Correction
- Soft tissue work
- Muscle Retraining
- Dry Needling
Trained Chartered Physiotherapists use the above methods along with many others to treat cases of Whiplash.
For more complicated cases, usually, a multidisciplinary treatment management team is required. This involves General Practitioner (GP), Neurologist, Pain Management Specialist (Anaesthetist), occupational therapist, clinical psychologist along with a dedicated physiotherapy team.
A multitude of drugs are also required for most cases. Typically, this involves muscle or joint injections or procedures to reduce the pain sensitivity in nerve ending, the so-called “nerve block”.
CHRONIC WHIPLASH – MULTI-DISCIPLINARY MANAGEMENT
For these more complicated cases, all of the members of a multidisciplinary team must be in complete sync regarding the treatments so the patient can receive optimal care. While this liaison is paramount for all cases and conditions, whiplash requires extra care because complex pain is involved in most of the whiplash cases.
It is equally important that the patient also understands that all members of his/her treatment need to be aware of any treatments the patient is currently receiving. This means, as a patient, you need to be actively involved in your Whiplash treatment, ensuring that your multidisciplinary treatment team is in sync and aware of every treatment that you are receiving.
While many whiplash cases are simple tissue strains that can resolve eventually, sometimes, however, it is difficult to analyse this initially, therefore it’s vital to ensure that the recovery process has progressed predictably and the physical signs are showing gradual improvement.
If the recovery is not going as predicted and there is no improvement or a slower improvement in physical signs, an appropriate intervention should be planned and implemented. “Hope” is no treatment and wishful thinking should be avoided at all costs.
DC Physiotherapy Clondalkin are experts in treating whiplash injuries. We can also provide medical legal reports for court where required.