Whiplash Carrollton, TX
- Rear-End Collision Injuries
- CRMA Ligament Analysis
- Staged, Gentle Care
Whiplash happens after a rear-end collision. It’s one of the injuries that Dr. Hoa Nguyen treats at Dallas Spine Center in Carrollton. He has been treating whiplash and other personal injuries for over 20 years, first in Florida and now in Texas, with special training in personal injury care.
Dr. Nguyen follows one rule from when he first sees you at his office. And that is to prove that your injury is from the recent accident before he even treats you. This guide walks you through what whiplash does to the neck and spine, how it gets documented, how care moves through stages, and which symptoms mean you must go to a hospital first before coming to our chiropractic office.
What Is Whiplash?
Whiplash can arise when your head and neck are thrown forward and backward very fast. This usually happens after getting hit from behind in a car crash. You may wear a seatbelt, but your neck is not. The force moves through the soft tissues and joints of your spine in a fraction of a second.
The quick motion can injure more than just muscle. Whiplash can damage structures in your neck and lower back. The damage depends on the speed and angle of the crash. The following are the injuries that Dr. Nguyen looks for when he examines a patient after a car accident:
- Muscle strains and tears
- Ligament sprains and partial tears
- Ligament instability in the spine
- A herniated disc
- Protruding discs and lower back pain
- Headaches and lasting neck pain
- Fractures in the cervical or lumbar spine
- Spinal cord injuries
Many whiplash injuries are sprains and strains of the soft tissue. Dr. Nguyen will examine you to determine which injuries you actually have. The reason for this is that each injury calls for a different plan of care.
Why Your Injury Needs to Be Proven Before It Gets Treated
Your injury needs to be proven first before it gets treated to prove that the injury is new and related to the recent collision. Dr. Nguyen doesn’t assume. Instead, he gathers evidence to help him build your accident care plan. Thus, he takes images of your spine to rule out a fracture or other problems that can’t be resolved by chiropractic care. After the images, he’ll document your injury.
“We take the x-ray and do our own analysis to help prove that the injury is new, acute, and related to the car crash, because a ligament injury or laxity is a new injury. We need to prove injury first before we treat.”
Dr. Hoa Nguyen, D.C.Dr. Nguyen uses Computerized Radiographic Mensuration Analysis (CRMA). It measures your X-rays for signs of ligament laxity. It helps show that the damage came from a recent event, like the collision, instead of years of normal wear.
The Stages of Whiplash Care at Our Carrollton Office
Whiplash care at Dallas Spine Center isn’t one-size-fits-all. Your care will move in stages. The equipment to be used at every stage will depend on your injuries and how your body responds.
- 1Acute stage. It focuses on muscle, ligament, and soft tissue pain. The care at this stage is conservative for 8 to 12 visits. It involves the use of a TENS unit, an infrared heat pad, Hako-Med therapy, shockwave therapy, and red light therapy.
- 2MRI. After the first phase, Dr. Nguyen will order an MRI to check for any herniated, bulging, or protruding discs that an X-ray failed to show.
- 3Active care. If your MRI shows a disc injury from the collision, you move into active care that adds VibraPlate work and spinal decompression for the injured disc.
- 4Spinal manipulation. If it’s safe for your condition, spinal manipulation is performed with the use of ProAdjuster SRT. It’s an instrument that allows for gentler mobilization.
Dr. Nguyen must wait for the imaging before adjustments because if there’s ligament instability, adjusting the spine isn’t ideal. If the X-rays or CRMA analysis show that a ligament has been stretched to the point that it has caused instability, our chiropractor will not use chiropractic adjustments on that area. Your plan depends on the other therapies, which is another reason the imaging must be done first.
What Early Whiplash Treatment Feels Like
You might be nervous to undergo whiplash treatment after a crash. This is especially true when your neck is already in pain. The first stage is gentle. The early treatment lets you lie comfortably while the equipment does the work. The intensity is set to your comfort level.
Next is the Hako-Med therapy. In this stage, you lie face down while suction-like cups are placed wherever the pain is. It can be on your neck or back. The unit is turned up to your maximum comfort level. Each session can last between 15 and 45 minutes. It can leave marks that look like cupping.
Electrical muscle stimulation is another therapy. It feels like a light tingling that many of our patients compare to ants crawling across the skin. This therapy relaxes your tight muscles, reduces spasms, and eases pain. Red light therapy is simpler. It’s a pad that’s placed over the injured area to deliver gentle heat. This therapy increases blood circulation to support recovery.
Shockwave therapy may also be a part of the early stage of your treatment. You won’t feel much when it’s applied to healthy tissue. But you’ll feel a bit of discomfort over the injured muscle or ligament attachment. This is the response that Dr. Nguyen is looking for, as it tells him where to treat. He adjusts its intensity so the discomfort stays tolerable during the session.
The goal is progress you can measure. Dr. Nguyen reassesses how you’re responding. If your pain or function isn’t improving as expected, the plan changes. It can mean moving to an MRI sooner or adjusting the therapies. He may even send you to another therapist for a second opinion.
Soft Tissue Injury or Disc Injury?
The most important factor in your plan is the actual damage from the crash. A milder whiplash is a soft tissue sprain or strain where muscles or ligaments were stretched. Those cases are handled in the conservative stage of care. They need less time than injuries that have already reached the discs.
A more severe case involves the discs. The force of collision can cause a disc to bulge, extrude, or separate into a fragment. Those injuries can press on nerves, requiring a full staged plan with decompression. It can take a longer course to recover from.
Whiplash rarely travels alone. Car accidents can injure your mid-back, shoulders, wrists, elbows, knees, and feet. Some patients also develop headaches or chest pain. The exam covers your entire body. In this way, Dr. Nguyen won’t miss anything or leave anything out of your records.
When Whiplash Requires an Emergency Room
Some crash injuries are emergencies. That’s why it’s vital that you go to an emergency room first. This is especially true if you notice any of these warning signs after the crash:
- Loss of consciousness, confusion, drowsiness, or memory loss
- Severe or worsening headaches
- New numbness, tingling, or weakness
- Loss of bowel or bladder control
- Chest pain, shortness of breath, or severe abdominal pain
- Persistent dizziness, vision loss, speech difficulty, or facial weakness
Dr. Nguyen also examines your condition so he can determine whether or not you have spinal fractures, dislocations, significant ligament instability, spinal cord compression, cauda equina syndrome, spinal tumors, severe osteoporosis, or recent spinal surgery. These are conditions that require another specialist, not a chiropractor.
Whiplash: FAQs
What does whiplash feel like?
It depends on what the crash injured. For instance, neck pain is the most familiar symptom. When a disc in your neck is affected, the pain can travel to the arms and fingers along with numbness, tingling, or weakness. Many patients also experience headaches, mid-back pain, or shoulder pain. This is the reason an exam at our office looks well beyond the neck.
How do you know if you have whiplash?
The best way to know if you have whiplash is to undergo an examination. Dr. Nguyen takes X-rays in the office and uses CRMA analysis to measure any ligament damage. If your symptoms are related to a disc injury, an MRI is requested to confirm it.
How long does whiplash last?
How long whiplash lasts depends on the injury. A mild sprain or strain is treated within the conservative stage of care. It can run for about 8 to 12 visits. But if the whiplash caused disc injuries like herniation, protrusion, or extrusion, the treatment can take longer. Your plan is based on what the image shows.
Can whiplash cause headaches?
Yes, whiplash can cause headaches. They’re part of our personal injury evaluation at Dallas Spine Center. A severe headache is different. However, it can indicate a concussion or a brain injury. Thus, it requires immediate medical attention.
Should I see a chiropractor after a car accident?
You can see a chiropractor after a car accident, but only after you’ve seen a medical doctor. This is especially necessary if you experience any of those warning signs. After a medical doctor clears you, that’s when you see a chiropractor. Dr. Nguyen is trained in personal injury care. He can examine you, take X-rays in-house, and determine whether the crash caused a disc injury or a ligament injury.
Can a chiropractor help with whiplash?
Yes, a chiropractor can help with whiplash if it caused soft tissue, ligament, and disc injuries. But serious problems must be ruled out first. Dr. Nguyen combines pain relief therapies in the acute stage with active care and decompression if there’s a disc involved. He reassesses you along the way. He may even refer you out if an MRI shows something beyond his capacity.
What is a letter of protection?
A letter of protection, or LOP, is an agreement that lets you receive care now while payment waits until your personal injury case settles. Most auto accident care at Dallas Spine Center is covered this way. If you have no coverage and the at-fault driver has no insurance, you’re responsible for the cost of your treatment.
Get Your Crash Injuries Documented
Call the office after a car accident to set up your exam, in-house x-rays, and CRMA analysis with Dr. Nguyen. Most accident care is handled through a letter of protection, so you can focus on getting better.
Dallas Spine Center, 3730 N Josey Ln #122, Carrollton, TX 75007. Serving Lewisville, Plano, Frisco, North Dallas, Addison, Farmers Branch, Coppell, Highland Village, The Colony, and Little Elm.