One of the most common injuries after a car accident is neck pain. In fact, more than two million Americans experience whiplash and neck strain each year as a result of a trauma or shock. Fortunately, there are many neck pain relief techniques that can help patients to feel better and eventually get back to normal. By visiting a doctor who specializes in rehab and road injuries in Tampa, you can get back to normal as quickly as possible.
While taking painkillers, using a neck brace, icing, and applying moist heat might initially relieve your symptoms, you’ll need to think of long-term solutions that don’t involve taking medicine for the foreseeable future. There are several treatments such as massage therapy, chiropractic care, neuromuscular therapy, and physical therapy, which can resolve the issue holistically and make sure that you don’t have to suffer from the symptoms for the rest of your life.
7 Tips for Getting Neck Pain Relief After a Car Accident in Tampa
1. Ice and Apply Moist Heat
When you first get injured, one of the best things you can do is to apply ice to your neck. This can reduce the swelling, which both helps with the pain and allows you to heal faster. To prevent further injury to your skin, always wrap the ice in a cloth or towel. You can apply it for around 15 minutes every 3-4 hours for the first 2-3 days after your injury.
The initial treatment should always include cold, but you can opt for heat therapy after a few days. Once your swelling has gone down and you feel a bit better, you can use wet, warm towels instead of ice, or you could take warm baths and showers. When you apply heat, tense and sore muscles are able to relax more, and they are encouraged to heal faster because of the increased blood flow that comes with higher temperatures.
2. Take Painkillers if Necessary
After a whiplash or neck strain injury, many doctors will recommend that you take painkillers, particularly at night. While we at B3 Medical don’t believe that this is a long-term solution, it can provide some much-needed immediate relief in the acute phases of your injury. If necessary, you should take pain relief medication that can help you to function normally, but make sure to also work on a long-term fix.
Some of the most common options when it comes to painkillers are acetaminophen-based medications like Tylenol and NSAIDs such as ibuprofen or naproxen. It’s important to keep in mind that most of these have side effects, particularly if used for a long time, so you should always consult your doctor if you need to use the medication for more than a few days at a time. They can tell you which ones might be suitable or even prescribe a more effective drug.
3. Use a Neck Brace
Some doctors recommend using a soft collar or neck brace after your injury because it can give your soft tissues some relief, so they have time to heal. The support from the brace can take the pressure off, which means that you will feel less pain during your day and your muscles don’t have to work so hard. However, this is always meant as a short-term intervention because the brace can weaken your neck muscles if you wear it for too long.
4. Opt for Massage Therapy
When you’re in pain, all of your muscles tense up, which can make the issue worse. During massage therapy, your specialist manipulates your soft tissues in a way that provides neck pain relief and helps your muscles to relax. This can increase the blood flow to the area, which then stimulates the healing process. What’s more, you’ll also notice that a massage can increase the flexibility in your neck.
For many people, this type of therapy is an important part of their wellness routine. In addition to the physical benefits it provides, it can also have a positive effect on mental wellbeing. After a traumatic experience such as a car accident in Tampa, you might feel very tense and anxious. By opting for a holistic and relaxing treatment like massage therapy, you can start to regain your calm mental state.
5. Work with a Chiropractor
Chiropractic care is a type of treatment where your health professional uses their hands to manipulate your bones, muscles, and joints to provide pain relief. Many conditions that involve the nervous system and the musculoskeletal system can be treated, and neck pain is one of them. The idea behind the method is that the body knows how to heal itself without the use of painkillers or chemicals that can be harmful in the long run.
Many of our patients first try out chiropractic care when they are suffering from an acute injury, but they often stay on for regular maintenance treatments. This can help to prevent issues with chronic pain and keep the body in optimal shape.
6. Try Out Neuromuscular Therapy
Another type of treatment that can provide you with great results is neuromuscular therapy. This innovative and highly specialized method involves specific soft tissue treatment, stretching, and self-care, and it can provide relief where other types of treatment have failed. The idea is that the nervous system has to be balanced with the musculoskeletal system in order to achieve optimal function and minimal pain.
It’s usually used for very specific types of treatment focused on one area of the body, so it is the perfect option for people who are struggling with stubborn neck pain. If you’ve tried everything and are not seeing the results you desire, this could be the right approach for you.
7. Get Long-Term Help with Physiotherapy
Some injuries are so extensive that they don’t heal on their own or with holistic treatment and need long-term care instead. Physiotherapy is one of the most popular and successful treatments for many different soft tissue conditions, and neck problems are no exception. When you first come to B3 Medical and ask for physical therapy, your medical professional will do a comprehensive evaluation to see what the issue is.
Then, they will come up with a treatment plan that addresses your injury. Depending on the exact problem and the severity of your symptoms, you might be given tasks such as stretches to complete at home. After a few months, we will reevaluate the treatment and adjust as necessary. While many people can stop physiotherapy after a few months, others opt to return for maintenance appointments every few weeks, so they can keep in top shape.
If you’ve been in a car accident in the Tampa area, you might be suffering from whiplash or neck strain. There are many ways of reducing your symptoms and dealing with the consequences of your injuries, but while some of them will address the acute pain, others can help to resolve your symptoms in the long term. In most cases, it’s best to opt for both immediate relief and therapies that can help you to recover fully.
Get in touch with us at B3 Medical in Wesley Chapel, FL to book your first appointment with one of our specialists, who can help you find the best techniques for neck pain relief. They will have a look at your situation and health history, then tell you which therapy is likely to produce the best results. We offer massage, chiropractic care, neuromuscular therapy, physiotherapy, and more, so you’re sure to find a great fit here.
