Following a car accident, your nagging neck pain may not be just “soft tissue.”
Neck pain is one of the most common chronic pain conditions in modern medicine and can lead to depression, sleep disturbance, and inability to work. Even though there may be minimal damage to your car, you can still sustain significant whiplash. In fact, even at low speeds, occupants can experience severe whiplash, even a 5 mph collision.
The term “soft tissue” is frequently tossed around as if it is an insignificant injury; this could not be farther from reality, as even the brain, liver, and heart are soft tissue, and it doubtful you could survive long with any of these structures damaged. Soft tissue includes
- Muscles
- Tendons
- Ligaments
- Nerves
- Discs
- Micro fractures
- Facet subluxation
- Hemorrhage or edema of the periarticular tissues (facet joints)
Correctly diagnosing the cause of neck pain is fundamental in correctly treating the symptoms and relieving the pain and improving function.
