Kathryn C. Riley, D.C. is a Mountain View, CA chiropractor who performs a variety of therapeutic techniques to help people with whiplash living in and around the Bay Area and Silicon Valley, CA. Dr. Riley offers comprehensive care for whiplash, including spinal adjustment, corrective exercises and massage therapy to relieve symptoms along with lifestyle advice to help patients reduce symptoms.
Whiplash is a type of neck injury caused by rapid, forceful back-and-forth movement of the neck, similar to the crack of a whip. This whipping motion affects the soft tissue in the neck by extending and flexing the tissue suddenly.
Automobile accidents are the most common cause of whiplash but any action that moves the head back and forth violently may cause whiplash. This violent motion may injure the discs and joints between the small bones of your spine and even damage the ligaments, muscles and nerves in your neck and upper back.
Neck pain is the most common symptom of whiplash but you may develop other signs and symptoms, such as neck stiffness, muscle and ligament injury, headache, dizziness, shoulder or back pain and abnormal sensations, including prickling or burning. In some cases, whiplash can cause memory loss, problems with concentration, nervousness and irritability, fatigue, sleep problems and even depression.
Symptoms may appear immediately after the whipping action occurs or they may develop several days after the event.
Chiropractic treatment can significantly ease the symptoms of whiplash and bring relief from pain, stiffness and dysfunction that can keep you from going to work, attending school or taking care of your family. Chiropractic treatment for whiplash includes spinal adjustments to return the bones of the neck to their normal positions, corrective exercises that gently stretch injured muscles, massage to relax muscles, and lifestyle advice that helps you avoid activities that can aggravate your whiplash.
The outlook for patients with whiplash is good, especially with prompt chiropractic care. Proper care usually alleviates head and neck pain within a few days or weeks and most patients recover within three months.
If you have questions regarding your specific plan, please call our office.
"Dr Riley has been my Dr. For 11 years now. With a L5 S1 situation, she has helped me stay the competitive kid that I am today!"
"I'm so grateful to have Dr. Riley in my life not only because she is a fantastic chiropractor but also how kind and understanding she is."
"I started seeing Dr. Riley nearly two years ago. I had regular visits and saw a major improvement in my life-long scoliosis."
"Dr. Riley came to my work for a health fair and explained how she can help. In about 3 months I could stop taking pain medication."
