Should i run with whiplash

After the first 48 hours, you could engage in a low-impact exercise like walking. Even then, take things slow so you don't re-injure your neck. Whiplash usually comes along with neck pain and stiffness in the neck. Additionally, you may also have headaches at the base of the skull, fatigue and dizziness. These symptoms may cause irritability. Whiplash is typically uncomplicated, but your symptoms may be so severe that you have trouble moving your neck and head.

Usually whiplash is treated via rest, ice and heat therapy and occasionally over-the-counter and prescription pain medication. Talking to your doctor about the severity of your symptoms can help you identify the best treatment option for you. Most bouts of whiplash are painful in the first few days following an accident. As time passes, the pain should subside and be completely gone after one to three weeks of rest. Still, severe cases of whiplash may be long lasting and you could still feel pain or stiffness up to three months or even a year following the incident according to the National Health Service, especially if you injure your neck again.

During the first 24 to 48 hours after the accident, it's important that you rest your neck as much as possible to avoid prolonging the healing process. Read more: Neck and Back Exercises for Whiplash. Some people are more prone to having whiplash after an accident. Risk factors identified through research include:.

A: A vast majority of neck pain goes away within a few days, and even more within three months. You are more likely to have this lingering pain if:.

The more severe your pain is after the initial injury, and the higher your anxiety level, the more likely it is that your acute short-term neck pain will develop into a chronic problem. Applying heat rather than cold to the area might also help loosen tight muscles.

The purpose of treatment is to regain your range of motion as quickly as possible. We start physical therapy early and focus on stretching, rotating and moving the neck back and forth. You can do exercises at home to help alleviate the pain. Do these three to four times a day for a few minutes:. He or she may then recommend further treatment, if needed. Tight muscles and neck pain are common after an accident.

But do you have whiplash? Find out who is at risk and how long the pain may last. Learn more about vaccine availability. This can lead to joint degeneration. Injured tissues are often held still, which in fact kinks the joints more, leads to faster weakening, and prevents proper healing.

Exercising injured tissues actually aids in their faster recovery, or at least the scar tissue heals in the manner to allow for proper joint movement. Precautions Most whiplash experts agree that exercise is safe and helpful for whiplash, and for neck aches generally. Just in case, talk with your doctor to make sure it is safe for you. Keep your mouth and jaw relaxed. At first the movements will likely be done slowly and cautiously; later you can speed them up.

If one side is stiffer, that is probably the direction you need to do more exercises in order to bring it equal to the good side.

Then move it in the opposite direction as far as it will go and hold for another 5 seconds. It may take several weeks before you start to notice the benefits.

Snaps, pops, and clicks are all common. Later on, the noise tends to lessen. Repeat each set three to five times per day. BC Whiplash Initiative. Allen M ed. Whiplash associated disorders. J Musculoskeletal Pain ; He was an associate professor of kinesiology at Simon Fraser University where he researched and published in the area of injury dynamics, including the dynamics of whiplash, and lectured internationally on this topic.

He also ran a private consulting clinical practice on injury management and rehabilitation, and conducted independent examinations for injury assessment. He co-chaired the BC Whiplash Initiative and was principal content author for its syllabi. Dr Allen was co-chair of the Traffic Safety and Engineering section of the World Congress on Whiplash in Vancouver, and senior editor for the Congress publication on diagnosis and treatment of whiplash-associated disorders.

Above is the information needed to cite this article in your paper or presentation. Solid-organ transplantation in HIV-infected patients. N Engl J Med. The ICMJE is small group of editors of general medical journals who first met informally in Vancouver, British Columbia, in to establish guidelines for the format of manuscripts submitted to their journals.

The group became known as the Vancouver Group. Its requirements for manuscripts, including formats for bibliographic references developed by the U. An alternate version of ICMJE style is to additionally list the month an issue number, but since most journals use continuous pagination, the shorter form provides sufficient information to locate the reference. The NLM now lists all authors. Skip to main content. Issue: BCMJ, vol. Competing interests During the years about to Dr Allen received honoraria, fees for speaking, fees for organizing education, and reimbursement from the Physical Medicine Research Foundation PMRF for matters related to the British Columbia Whiplash Initiative.

Neck-specific exercises: The basics Precautions Most whiplash experts agree that exercise is safe and helpful for whiplash, and for neck aches generally. This article has been peer reviewed.