Whiplash

The neck and throat area is an extremely sensitive area; therefore making it very painful when injured. A whiplash injury can take a long time to heal if not treated right away. Massage can be part of that healing process to make sure you are on your way to a pain-free state again.

Whiplash targets different muscles in the neck depending on the impact that caused the injury. For example, if you were rear-ended in a car accident this causes a hyper-extension injury targeting muscles in the front of the neck. A side-impact would cause more injury to the muscles in side of the neck. These impacts, depending on their severity, could cause diminished range of motion to the neck, strains or spasms to the muscles involved, sprains or ruptures to certain ligaments, and concussions.

Treatment will vary depending on what stage of healing the patient is in and how severe the trauma was. Adhesions or ‘knots’ will develop early on to stabilize the injured area. It is important not to reduce these adhesions in the muscles too early in the healing process so as to maintain support around the neck as the patient moves from the early stages to mid stages of healing. Early on, treatment will be focused on decreasing the patient’s pain, muscle spasms, and swelling. Later on in treatments, clients will be worked on to increase diminished range of motion and any present ‘knots’ that have not subsided. Headaches and decreased muscle strength in specific neck muscles may also be looked at and treated accordingly.

Due to the sensitivity of the area, whip-lash treatment must be done within the patient’s pain tolerance and treated very carefully. If you have suffered from a whip-lash injury, seek out treatment immediately. Treatment is essential to your recovery and a pain free life!

COVID-19 Update

Due to the State of Emergency announced in Waterloo Region this past week and the mandate put forth by PHA and my governing college (CMTO), I will be temporarily keeping my Massage Therapy Clinic closed at this time. As I am unsure as to when it will be safe to reopen, I will be contacting clients on a weekly basis who have an upcoming appointment to cancel their treatments and will be placing them on a rebook list for when this outbreak has passed.