Pain Relief for Joint Disorders

After being rear-ended in a car accident, the sudden force may have thrown your head forward, putting a strain on your neck and leading to a diagnosis of whiplash. While you may already be experiencing the pain and tenderness caused by the injury to the soft tissue, you may wonder just how much of an impact it will have on your ability to function. Below are two ways that whiplash can adversely affect your everyday life.

1.  Increased Difficulty with Lifting Even Lightweight Objects

One way that whiplash can affect your ability to perform the simplest of everyday tasks is that it can make it increasingly difficult to lift even lightweight objects. Whenever you try to pick up something, you may not only experience an increase in pain, but you may also find that you cannot pull the object up. You may even find that your hand weakens, causing you to drop items periodically.

When you suffer from whiplash, the tension caused by the injury will make your muscles and tendons tense up. Not only will this pull your cervical neck spine out of alignment, but it can also irritate your nerves and soft tissues.

As a result, whenever you try to use your arms and hands, the motions will aggravate your neck and cause the pain and weakness. The more you try to lift items, the more you will aggravate your neck, and the more symptoms you will have.

2.  Decreased Ability to Perform Simple Personal Care Tasks

Another problem whiplash can cause to your everyday life is that it can decrease your ability to perform simple personal care tasks. Whenever you try to brush and style your hair or wash certain areas of your body, you may experience the same symptoms as you do whenever you try to lift objects.

Any actions that require you to lift your arms, move your neck, and put pressure on the spine and surrounding tissues will irritate the muscles, tendons, and nerves. Simply lifting one arm in the shower or using a hairbrush can cause you excruciating pain, requiring you to either work through your symptoms or rely on someone else to help you with your personal care.

Recovering from whiplash can take a while, especially if you are unable to completely rest the injured muscles. To possibly help along the healing process and help manage your symptoms, make an appointment with a chiropractor so that you can discuss whiplash treatment options.