# Experience with neck injuries/whiplash?



## Mary Ann (Jan 13, 2004)

*Experience with neck injuries/whiplash? xpost*

I took a slow-speed header while DH'ing almost 5 weeks ago that left me with terrible whiplash. I landed on my face/chest and the pain was immediately in neck-lower cervical/upper thoracic area. My chest was also slightly bruised. Not a scratch on me or the bike, but my helmet was cracked at the face plate! Thank god for fullface helmets and full body armour.

I got examined at the ER the day of the crash (by a mountain-biking doc, no less!) and my Xrays were normal. The doc gave me Naproxen and told me I could take easy bike rides and that swimming would be ok for me within a few days. I ended up missing 2 days of work and slowly got back into things, but my neck was really stiff and sore.

Taking the advice of the ER doc, I returned to swimming at the beginning of week 3 (way too sore to try before this point). But it was very painful, had to get out after 20 minutes. I tried again the following week with the same results. At this point I realized it wasn't going to get better on its own, so I saw my family doc and got a referral for physiotherapy. I've completed 3 sessions over the last 2 weeks, and am starting to feel progress, but the PT said absolutly NO swimming or biking though. I am inclined to agree, just based on how my body feels. I've had too much experience with sports injuries in the past to rush things, so I'm going to follow her advice (to the letter).

Anyway, to finally get to my question, do neck injuries follow the same basic pattern of other soft-tissue injuies, i.e. 6-8 weeks of rest/rehab and then a gradual return to normalcy? Or are there pitfalls I need to be aware of? I have lots of experience with ankles, knees, shoulders and lower back. I just have never hurt my neck before. I would appreciate hearing others' experiences.

All in the hopes that I won't miss out on the rest of biking season, and that I can return to the pool within the next couple of weeks. At least I can still get out and walk; otherwise I'd be going completely nuts by now!

Thanks!

Mary Ann


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## connie (Mar 16, 2004)

Really sorry to hear that!

All my neck injuries have been minor and were fixed with a visit to the chiropractor. 

Sorry I'm not of more help, but I'm glad to hear you're doing therapy and taking it seriously. Have you posed these questions to your therapist?? I'd start by asking there and personally I'd ask if you can also go to a chiropractor or massage therapist for extra help. There are some situations where chiropractic care can aggravate things but if you get the okay from PT and see a good one - they know what they can help and what they can't. It might be worth a try, esp. if your insurance covers it. (mine does)

I'm in the knee injury club right now... (ACL recon last week). So I'm with you on the trying to be patient and just do what I'm told by my doc.


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## dirtcrab (Feb 4, 2004)

> Anyway, to finally get to my question, do neck injuries follow the same basic pattern of other soft-tissue injuies, i.e. 6-8 weeks of rest/rehab and then a gradual return to normalcy? Or are there pitfalls I need to be aware of?


I'm no doctor but I can say from personal experience: be very careful and listen to what your doctors and MORE importantly what your body is telling you. If you start feeling better, stay in PT a while longer and make sure you are fully healed before exerting too much stress on that area.

Your head is a heavy object and from my experience the neck and surrounding tissues do not heal as quickly as other parts of your body. I had a non-cycling related cervical spine overuse injury which caused nerve impingement affecting both my neck and my left arm (from bad cell phone posture of all things). The layman's diagnosis was a rotated vertebra. It eventually turned into chronic neck pain because I ignored the problem for too long. When it was in the acute stage I only had about 60% range of motion in my neck. Through PT I was able to gain full range of motion (I remember the exact moment the bone rotated back into place - it was like a miracle) but to this day I still have weakness and my neck and the surrounding muscles are prone to strain and pain. If I had it to do all over again I a) would have, a) sought out medical treatment sooner and, b) stuck with the PT a bit longer than I did. I was very eager to get back on the bike which probably contributed to my lingering pain. Clearly, my injury was quite different from yours but I thought I'd share my experience anyway.

If you're really concerned about losing your cycling fitness, buy a stationary trainer and ride it sitting straight up. I would definitely recommend NOT riding in a regular hunched over riding position (or participating in other sports) if it causes you pain.


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## screampint (Dec 10, 2001)

If it really is whiplash then you really ought to see a good massage therapist, physical therapist, or maybe a chiropractor.

I'd offer to work on you myself, but somehow I think you don't have a trip out here in your budget.


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## jewels (Mar 17, 2004)

*neck pain*

Did the naproxen work? I wonder if another type of anti-inflammatory drug would have (and still) might work better. I used celebrex for my neck/shoulder injury and let it heal by taking it easy. The other drug the doc gave me didn't touch it. If the pain continues, I wonder if your referring physician could recommend a mri (only if your insurance covers it!) to see if you didn't herniate a disc. I'd consider a revisit to the doctor (maybe a neuro doc) if the pain doesn't subside. Anyhow, I work in the cat scan/x-rays and see lots of nasty injuries. Good luck!



Mary Ann said:


> I took a slow-speed header while DH'ing almost 5 weeks ago that left me with terrible whiplash. I landed on my face/chest and the pain was immediately in neck-lower cervical/upper thoracic area. My chest was also slightly bruised. Not a scratch on me or the bike, but my helmet was cracked at the face plate! Thank god for fullface helmets and full body armour.
> 
> I got examined at the ER the day of the crash (by a mountain-biking doc, no less!) and my Xrays were normal. The doc gave me Naproxen and told me I could take easy bike rides and that swimming would be ok for me within a few days. I ended up missing 2 days of work and slowly got back into things, but my neck was really stiff and sore.
> 
> ...


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## formica (Jul 4, 2004)

I"ve been rear-ended/whiplashed twice, so I will toss in my 2¢:

First, I'd follow Screampints advice massage/chiropractic/physical theraprist. Personally I never took muscle relaxants or painkillers, but that is just me.

You might consider ( heaven forbid) gentle cycling with an upright style comfort bike just for fitness.

My second wreck was right before I got my first MTB. I had to go with a somewhat upright riding position ( lots of spaces on the riser) for several years as I healed slowly. As someone else said, your head is very heavy, and you have to rebuild the strength and stability. To this day I don't road ride as the position is just too uncomfortable, but my XC set is pretty much set up race style. 

Yes, these things can take a while to heal, and yes it's hard like with any injury to give it enough time so that you don't reinjur. For me, the worst thing is the residual scar tissue that gets really aggravated by stress.

heal fast 

Formica


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## Mary Ann (Jan 13, 2004)

*Thanks*



connie said:


> Really sorry to hear that!
> 
> All my neck injuries have been minor and were fixed with a visit to the chiropractor.
> 
> ...


I plan to ask my PT when I see her tomorrow. I just thought of these questions between visits. I know my situation is very specific, but I wanted to see if anyone in the MTBR had experiences with neck injuries.

I'm leaning towards supplementing with massage, but probably not chiropractic. I've had a good one in the past, but I'm leery of returning to it since it seems to be a never ending treatment. About 10 years ago, I started seeing mine for a stiff neck and 5 years later I "still needed to come next week". I didn't see enough of a benefit to continue. For now I'll see what kind of results I can get from PT and massage.

Hope your knee recovery goes well too.

Mary Ann


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## Mary Ann (Jan 13, 2004)

*Thanks*

I've learned from past chronic injuries it pays to take things slowly and to follow treatment carefully. Any time I've "forgotten" this, I am painfully reminded. I appreciate your input and thoughts.

Mary Ann


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## Mary Ann (Jan 13, 2004)

*Go all the way to Fruita when I can't bike???*



screampint said:


> If it really is whiplash then you really ought to see a good massage therapist, physical therapist, or maybe a chiropractor.
> 
> I'd offer to work on you myself, but somehow I think you don't have a trip out here in your budget.


Appreciate the offer but I'm only coming to Fruita when I'm in 100% health. As much as I would appreciate your massage services, I'd much prefer you to be a trail guide. ;-) Some day....

I am seeing a physio therapist now and may also supplement that with massage. I'm slowly starting to improve so I'll take things slowly and see how it goes.

Thanks Sar!
Mary Ann


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## Mary Ann (Jan 13, 2004)

*Actually.....*



jewels said:


> Did the naproxen work? I wonder if another type of anti-inflammatory drug would have (and still) might work better. I used celebrex for my neck/shoulder injury and let it heal by taking it easy. The other drug the doc gave me didn't touch it. If the pain continues, I wonder if your referring physician could recommend a mri (only if your insurance covers it!) to see if you didn't herniate a disc. I'd consider a revisit to the doctor (maybe a neuro doc) if the pain doesn't subside. Anyhow, I work in the cat scan/x-rays and see lots of nasty injuries. Good luck!


I never filled the prescription for naproxen. I just took a higher does of Advil and tylenol. It helped with the inflammation but not so much the pain in the first couple of weeks. My doctor supplemented it with Flexeril (muscle relaxant), which helped some too. Thankfully now the pain is mostly gone and I'm taking the advil to continue against the inflammation.

We'll see how things go. My PT said she'd send me back to my doc for more tests if I didn't improve after 2 to 3 weeks. I've seen some improvement from just 3 sessions, so I'll keep my fingers crossed that an MRI will not be needed.

Thanks!
Mary Ann


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## Mary Ann (Jan 13, 2004)

*Thanks*



formica said:


> I"ve been rear-ended/whiplashed twice, so I will toss in my 2¢:
> 
> First, I'd follow Screampints advice massage/chiropractic/physical theraprist. Personally I never took muscle relaxants or painkillers, but that is just me.
> 
> ...


I've had to make similar adjustments to my bikes after chronic shoulder tendinitis a few years ago. I'll keep them in mind when I return (probably only next season now). I'm keeping fit by walking the dog. There's always next season!

Thanks for your thoughts.
Mary Ann


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## TitaniumNoodle (Oct 24, 2004)

*Broken neck Durango NORBA*

I broke my C1,C2,&C3 in Durango practicing for mens sport division age 25 to 29 DH on Aug 26. 
It was the first day of practice, second run down (it was really retarded), but some how I'm not paralized and I'm pretty damn lucky. They put a titanium screw threw my C2 odontoid and I'm expected to have a full recovery. It was a really scary thing to go though but I'm not going to let it stop me from getting back on my bike.
It happened right under the chair lift, if any one saw it happen please reply and tell what you saw because I'm still trying to figure out how my body landed.


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## connie (Mar 16, 2004)

Mary Ann said:


> I plan to ask my PT when I see her tomorrow. I just thought of these questions between visits. I know my situation is very specific, but I wanted to see if anyone in the MTBR had experiences with neck injuries.
> 
> I'm leaning towards supplementing with massage, but probably not chiropractic. I've had a good one in the past, but I'm leery of returning to it since it seems to be a never ending treatment. About 10 years ago, I started seeing mine for a stiff neck and 5 years later I "still needed to come next week". I didn't see enough of a benefit to continue. For now I'll see what kind of results I can get from PT and massage.
> 
> ...


Pushy chiro's are definitely annoying. I don't know why they do that - I know it turns me off. Makes me happy we found the one we've been going to - he's easy to deal with that way. I pretty much just go when I feel like it and he doesn't bother me about it.

Hope you're feeling better soon!


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## formica (Jul 4, 2004)

connie said:


> Pushy chiro's are definitely annoying. I don't know why they do that - I know it turns me off. Makes me happy we found the one we've been going to - he's easy to deal with that way. I pretty much just go when I feel like it and he doesn't bother me about it.
> 
> Hope you're feeling better soon!


Exactly.

the best ones give you a treatment plan.... let's do this for 3x a week for 1 week, 2x a week for 3 weeks, and then wait and see how you feel. Also, if you can find one that knows your sport, that's a bonus. Both of the chiropraters at the office I go to are mountain bikers and skiers.... helps a lot when you have a wipe out, when playing with them!!

formica


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## connie (Mar 16, 2004)

formica said:


> Exactly.
> 
> the best ones give you a treatment plan.... let's do this for 3x a week for 1 week, 2x a week for 3 weeks, and then wait and see how you feel. Also, if you can find one that knows your sport, that's a bonus. Both of the chiropraters at the office I go to are mountain bikers and skiers.... helps a lot when you have a wipe out, when playing with them!!
> 
> formica


Yep. I had a friend who was actually a surgeon who had also studied chiropractic care. I was playing basketball and got clobbered by some huge guy and my spine felt like it got rearranged. VERY nice to have an expert friend on the scene to pop things back where they belong right afterwards! Wish he lived out here to accompany me on DH trips.


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## litespeedchick (Jan 13, 2004)

That's exactly right.

My husband is a chiropractor, and his standard course of treatment is every day for 2 weeks, then he re-evaluates, usually reducing treatment to 3x week, then 2x a week, then assuming you are pretty-much well, released to come in whenever you feel something starting to flare-up again. Of course, you aren't showing improvement during any of those periods, he will refer out to some other type of physician.

A lot of people think the every day routine is excessive in the first two weeks, but as I understand it, ligaments are the slowest tissue in the body to heal, and that's what holds your vertebrae to each other. So after you are adjusted, they aren't really strong enough to hold the bones where they need to be, so they need continual adjusting until the ligaments have a chance to heal.

As to whiplash, Dr. husband says you really should get treatment as soon as possible after the injury. Whiplash causes an exageration of the normal cervical curve and you don't want it to wind up that way forever. You could loose range of motion. 

Try to find a someone to give you a rec. for their chiropractor. Ask questions like "does he require x-rays" (a good Chiropractor will not touch you without x-rays...rare exceptions to this exist), does he have physical therapy in the office (the answer should be yes), does he talk alot about very special tables or adjusting machines (should be no), does he profess to cure everything under the sun (should be no), and of course, does he make you come back every week for 10 years ? should be no ;-)

Oh, by the way, do you have a cervical pillow? if not roll up a towel to about 4 inch diameter and lie with your neck on it and an ice pack between you and the pillow. Don't fall asleep that way because even though the cervical pillow is good for neck, too much too soon will make you even more sore.


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## mergs (Feb 14, 2004)

I landed on my head attemopting a backflip on my snowboard, stupid, then I compounded the injury with an endo on mtb a month later. Stupid x 2.

I had a sore neck numb left arm and forefinger and thumb. Bad stuff. I was worried.

I went to a sport doc, had an MRI and was diagnosed with C3 and C4 stenosis. It was something already going on, aggravated by the dumb moves above.  I was told to give up snowboarding, mtb and take up tennis.

I did 6 weeks of PT, 4 x a week, in combination with weekly deep tissue massage at a certified massage therapist.

By August I was back on the mtb and feeling good. No numbness and no pain. I do not take endos for granted anymore and I def ride in a mellow fashion. I don't take as many chances... that word the Dr. used, paralysis, rings in my head... but I am not giving up my sports.

Funny enough, I went surfing in Barbados last week and neck pain came back. I am working it, masaging it myself, and doing the neck stretches the PT did for me. Its getting better now. I will most likely be bothered by this for my life, but if I am creful stay in shape and work out and stretch like the PT instructed me too, I should be in good shape.

Bottom line: be careful, do the PT faithfully, consider DT massage. You'll be fine.

I wish you luck. Nothing sucks more then injuries, esp people like us who like to be active.


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