Can Massage Help A Whiplash Injury?

Neck Pain Whiplash

Today, there are a few different approaches to treating whiplash injuries in Tucson. However, making the right choice and understanding which approach is better takes a bit of research. If you make the wrong choice, you may endure more pain, so it is worth choosing wisely.

To begin with, it is essential to understand whiplash. It is primarily known as an injury to the neck and most commonly occurs during a car accident. So, the question is, is massage the best way to recover from the injury?

We’ll cut to the chase and tell you that massage therapy is one of the best ways to recover from whiplash. However, you will want to see a massage therapist who specializes in specific restorative work and manual therapy.

What Causes Whiplash?

Whiplash can be painful because it mainly damages the neck’s ligaments and muscles. The ligaments are similar to ropes and strings but are in the body, connecting one bone to the next. Unfortunately, 45% of adults in the US suffer from chronic neck pain, which is attributed to some form of minor or significant whiplash.

Ligaments, unlike other parts of your body, have fewer blood vessels, so they tend to heal much slower than, let’s say, your muscles.

Whiplash causes hundreds, if not thousands, of micro-tears in the ligaments. This means they become weaker and can’t handle a lot of tension if you try pulling at them. Additionally, if the whiplash is the result of a car accident, most of the damage to the ligaments happens before your head even hits the dashboard or steering wheel, for that matter.

Is Massage A Good Idea To Treat Whiplash?

Yes, a massage is probably the best thing you can do to recover from whiplash. However, you will want to find a therapist with experience and one that will use the right technique, for maximum effectiveness. This will also often mean combining massage with physical exercises or physical therapy.

How Does Massage Work To Help Recover From Whiplash?

The right approach will help accomplish two goals, the first being helping to improve function and the second being to eventually eliminate pain. The massage will quickly make you feel better and reduce pain by triggering feel-good hormones or endorphins in the body. If the right approach is used, this will result in gradual and lasting improvement. The most crucial goal is to improve function, which enables you to go about your daily life unhindered.

Most qualified massage therapists will examine your daily life to determine your hobbies and activities. Since each activity is unique, the approach to treating you may vary to restore certain functions first. Most people know someone who received a massage and felt better, but when they tried moving, the pain returned, and this time, it was worse. Usually, the massage therapist will try to restore function by correcting the range of motion within the tendons, muscles, and ligaments.

Common Massage Therapy Techniques For Whiplash

Many people who have tried massage therapy experience beneficial results, but some are still left trying to deal with long-term pain. A couple of reasons for this may be the therapist and the techniques they choose to use. Massage therapists play a big role in helping patients heal, and they will often collaborate with a chiropractor or physical therapist to create a viable treatment plan. Therapists will start massaging or working on the part of the body that hurts the most. However, the key is to focus on the source of the problem rather than just the muscle that feels the sorest.

One area that some massage therapists neglect is the neck flexors. They are located within the muscles in the front of our necks. When this is not treated, recovering from the injuries isn’t as fast, and the pain will consistently return when activity is increased.

Auto Accident-Related Massages

You will want to opt for the following types of massage if the whiplash was caused by an accident:

  • Trigger Point Massage – This is great for shooting pain, which often travels from one area to the next within the body.
  • Deep Tissue Massage – This is an excellent choice for increasing circulation within the body, reducing physical stress, and improving flexibility.
  • Cross Fiber Friction – This is a good choice for restoring the ligaments and tendons to their previous state.
  • Fascial Release Therapy – The key to reducing pain in many instances is finding and correcting fascial tension in the body.

Pin And Stretch Technique

This is an excellent approach for increasing the range of motion.

  • PROM or Passive Range of Motion – This works perfectly to aid joint mobility.
  • Instrumentation Assisted Soft Tissue Manipulation (IASTM) – This is good for addressing muscle scar tissue.
  • Fiscal release therapy – This works by finding and correcting fascial tension, which may trigger pain in various body parts.

Regardless of how your whiplash injury occurred, massage can most certainly help you get better. The massage therapists at Greentoes in Tucson have the knowledge and experience to treat whiplash and other neck injuries successfully.

Book your next massage in Tucson at Greentoes today. We have two convenient locations to serve you.

our locations

greentoes
529 N 6th Ave
Tucson, AZ 85705
520-777-6281

greentoes North
615 W Roller Coaster Rd
Tucson, AZ 85704
520-329-8972

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