I Can Only Begin To Sympathize!

Let me start of by saying that I have no experience as far as whiplash is concerned. What I know is from the research I have completed purely for the purpose of this post.

I do know that many poor, unfortunates souls have experienced whiplash in a car accident and have suffered for years in pain!

While I can’t say that I know how you feel, I can only sympathize. The good news is that for most people the pain does eventually subside and the condition goes away by itself. I know of a few people who experienced this and while it did take some time, eventually the whiplash did resolve itself.

What Is Whiplash & Can It Only Be Caused By A Car Accident?

I like the definition from Mayo Clinic:

“Whiplash is a neck injury due to forceful, rapid back-and-forth movement of the neck, like the cracking of a whip.” (Source: Mayo Clinic)

While most people do experience whiplash through a rear-end car accident, this is not the only means to get injured this way. You can also experience whiplash through falls, or even while playing a sport. As long as there’s a risk of the “whip” motion (prevalent in whiplash), there’s always a potential for this form of injury.

That being said, I’ve yet to come across a person who has experienced whiplash other than by a car accident.

Comment down below if you or someone you know has experienced whiplash through a fall/slip/sports etc.

Is A Massage Good For Whiplash?

Can massage help someone who has suffered whiplash, and if so, how? Is it possible that massage can actually make whiplash worse? Let’s look at all of these in some more detail.

Before we go any further I would like to provide the following disclaimer.

Okay coming to massage….is massage something that can help with whiplash? Yes it can, but one needs to be very careful when looking at this.

Because of the nature and sensitivity of the injury, it is important to take utmost care when approaching whiplash with massage.

First and foremost, you never self massage. This is a no-no as far as I’m concerned. There’s just way too many risks to make an already bad situation, worse. If there’s one thing you shouldn’t be doing, it’s taking matters into your own hands when it comes to whiplash!

Massage can help but it needs to be administered properly with the right care and caution. It becomes paramount that this is done, otherwise the situation could become worse!

What does this mean for you? Well it basically means you need to do your homework! Massage can definitely provide some relief, but not every massage therapist is trained to administer massage for treating whiplash. You will need to do some research to see if you can find a therapist in your area who specializes in treating whiplash specifically.

Before you do even this, my recommendation is to visit your family physician and get a recommendation to see a chiropractor.

Of course any alternative form of treatment you wish to purse such as massage should be discussed with both doctors. Also, it might be possible that they know of a therapist they could be able to recommend you to.

At this time you can also discuss with them on what treatment (or combination of treatments) makes most sense for your specific condition. Maybe a multi-pronged approach makes most sense in helping you manage the condition without suffering too much pain in the long term.

What Massage Techniques Are Typically Employed At Treating Whiplash?

There isn’t one specific technique that is employed but rather a combination of techniques that usually works best depending on each specific case. Deep tissue work might yield positive results for one, shiatsu or trigger point therapy might show results for another.

If you are working with a trained therapist, they will know what technique(s) to administer and how intensely. If the pain is too much, you definitely let them know!

If you want to know more about massage techniques and whiplash, here’s a great read from Chiropractic & Manual Therapy that’s well worth checking out.

Remember, There’s Always More Than One Way To Skin A Cat!

Whether you’re suffering from whiplash or something else, there’s always more than one way to address the problem. Massage is definitely something that should be explored for whiplash, but you should also explore other options – specifically targeted stretching exercises/routines, physical therapy, and even acupuncture might be a few things to look into!

Read up on these topics and you might be surprised at what you find!

Yes my polyps are not gone, but they have reduced drastically from what they were before. The lesson here is that there are multiple ways to resolve your issue. You just need to sit down and do some research and see what’s worked for others. It might just work for you too!

And with that I bid you farewell and the very best of luck. Feel free to drop a comment down below letting me know how your journey with whiplash has been. Did you find something that worked for you? Are you still suffering?

Take care and we’ll see you next time!