Man suffering from whiplash pain after a car accident

Beyond Neck Pain: How Whiplash Affects Your Whole Body

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If you’ve ever been in an auto accident, there’s a good chance you’ve suffered whiplash to some degree. Even a minor fender bender where the airbags don’t deploy is enough to cause rapid extension of the neck, resulting in whiplash. And while your neck stiffness and soreness may fade in a few days’ time, there’s a lot more you can and should be worried about.

Whiplash may have localized pain symptoms in the neck, shoulders, or head, but its effects spread far beyond these areas. Pain, illness, or debilitating conditions affecting the entire body can arise days, weeks, months, or even years down the road, all with roots that trace back to a simple case of whiplash.

At Stability Health Center, we’ve seen just how prolific whiplash can be. We see hundreds of Seattle, WA patients each year who are dealing with whiplash, as well as those who have brushed off the condition and are now dealing with long-term problems. We’re here to nip whiplash in the bud, so you can truly move past your auto accident.

Pain charts the path of whiplash problems

Because whiplash primarily affects the cervical spine, the number of additional problems that can arise from even a simple case are nearly infinite. The vertebrae in this portion of the spine are smaller and more prone to slipping or shifting, making subluxations a major concern. In addition, most major nerves run through your cervical spine. These nerves can become pinched or compressed quite easily. Finally, the neck is home to soft tissue that’s susceptible to hyperextension, bringing with it a completely new set of problems.

The common denominator in any whiplash-induced injury is pain. Recognizing this pain is important to understanding how other problems form. Following the pain is exactly what chiropractors do when assessing the scope of your whiplash condition. In addition to radiological imaging called for by the Chiropractic BioPhysics (CBP) approach, the extent of whiplash can be used to help identify future problem points across the whole body.

Nerves affect everything

Whiplash is a massively-jarring motion that can easily misalign your spine. As a result, vertebrae are likely to move out of place, causing nerves to be compressed or pinched. Herein lies the primary concern of untreated whiplash.

A pinched nerve in the spine may give you terrible headaches. Or, it could result in chronic heartburn. It might even lead to numbness in your foot. It’s truly staggering how so many problems in the body can stem from nerve impediments! Addressing stressed nerves after an accident is priority number one for preventing ongoing ailments from developing.

Secondary problems from trauma

Even if you’re free and clear of nerve compression, the spinal trauma from whiplash alone is enough to cause ongoing problems of all types. Take, for example, chronic pain. Chronic neck pain may make it difficult to fall asleep or get restful sleep. A lack of good sleep can result in fogginess during the day, problems thinking correctly, or even depression. This results in lethargy and numerous expounding problems. It’s easy to see just how fast problems can snowball.

Take care of whiplash once and for all

Whiplash isn’t something to be candid about. Even if you’re fortunate enough to talk away from an accident unscathed, with minor pain that dissipates in days, you’re still at the mercy of unanticipated problems in the future. To truly resolve whiplash, you’ll need to take a steadfast approach to spinal maintenance without delay.

Stability Health Center has seen the long-term effects whiplash can have on the whole body, even beyond the neck, spine, and upper back. We use Chiropractic BioPhysics (CBP) to help Seattle, WA patients see what catalysts to long-term ailments may be lurking post-accident.

If you’ve recently been involved in an accident, no matter how small, contact us today for a free consultation.

Chiropractic BioPhysics, or CBP, is one of the most scientific, researched, and results-oriented corrective care techniques. CBP-trained chiropractors aim to realign the spine back to health, eliminating nerve interference and addressing the source of pain, fatigue, and disease. As with all chiropractic care, CBP is gentle, painless, and non-invasive.

Man suffering with Seasonal Depression and needs help from chiropractic treatment

Heading Off Seasonal Depression with the Help of Chiropractic

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If you experience seasonal depression, you know it’s more than just the winter blues. The consistent feeling of being down, combined with a lack of interest in the things you usually love, can be devastating. You dread the coming winter because you know what’s going to happen, and it always feels like there’s no way to avoid it.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) affects up to 20 percent of the population with ranging, sometimes severe effects. Unfortunately, there’s no silver bullet to combating it. Many physicians recommend staying active or supplementing your diet with Vitamin D. Other recommendations include changing your diet, listening to soothing music, and even tanning during the winter!

Did you know you may be able to mitigate SAD’s effects through chiropractic, too? This natural, holistic treatment method isn’t just for people with back problems. At Stability Health Center in Seattle, WA, we recommend adjustments to SAD sufferers as winter begins to set in, as a way to help improve quality of life. Evidence shows that chiropractic maintenance may be a key in warding off the worst symptoms of this seasonal condition.

What causes SAD?

Mental health professionals attribute most cases of SAD to the nature of the winter season. There are fewer hours of sunlight, cold temperatures, and the many expectations that come with holidays. These compound in the form of stress, sparking the many defining features of SAD as a collective condition. Symptoms correlated with SAD often include:

  • Chronic fatigue;
  • Chronic pain;
  • Mood changes;
  • Shifts in appetite;
  • Extreme lethargy;
  • Depression.

These symptoms often put unnecessary stress on the body, causing a kind of vicious cycle. And, any one symptom is further compounded by any others. For example, experiencing tense muscles and spinal subluxations (misalignments) due to stress may lead to greater health problems such as severe mood changes and depression.

Using chiropractic to combat SAD

While there’s no cure for SAD, there are ways to ease the various problems it causes. These include a number of lifestyle changes to improve overall happiness, as well as focus on diet and exercise. Also important to consider is chiropractic.

Chiropractic’s ability to realign the spine can have numerous benefits that directly combat SAD. This can include alleviating chronic pain, unrestricting critical nerves, and preventing poor posture from inducing these conditions.

A chiropractor will use a variety of techniques to alleviate symptoms, foremost of all being corrective adjustment. In the particular case of SAD, realigning the top three vertebrae in the cervical spine (neck) may reduce pressure on the brain stem, leading to profound benefits. Chiropractic adjustments may also increase the level of endorphins in the bloodstream, key to combating this condition. When the spine is properly aligned, patients report benefits such as improved energy levels, reduced pain, and better mood.

Beyond adjustments, a chiropractor will work with patients to develop an individualized treatment plan. For seasonal affective disorder, this will often include spending more time outside to absorb sunlight containing vital vitamin D, adopting an exercise program, and switching to a nutritious diet.

Reclaim winter as a happy season

The many joys of winter don’t have to be second to seasonal depression. The experienced team at Stability Health Center is helping patients throughout the Seattle, WA area. Contact us today to learn more about the revolutionary Chiropractic BioPhysics (CBP) program we use with all our patients.

Chiropractic BioPhysics, or CBP, is one of the most scientific, researched, and results-oriented corrective care techniques. CBP-trained chiropractors aim to realign the spine back to health, eliminating nerve interference and addressing the source of pain, fatigue, and disease. As with all chiropractic care, CBP is gentle, painless, and non-invasive.