[Lebber]

After a lengthy discussion with some caregivers and looking at my pattern of recovery we all think the concussion has healed in the first 3 months but the remaining symptoms are all from the whiplash i sustained. We all know we can't tell for sure, but it's a bit to coincidental that all my symptoms (tinnitus, fatigue, insomnia and some loss of appetite) get better after massage and get worse when my neck is tense. The good thing about it is that it's partially treatable. The bad news is that it makes me scared, because i don't know the prognosis. Some people told me prognosis is good and it will probably take another month or 2 to heal. Others are more carefull and don't want to say. I really have no idea if these things can truly heal.

The other thing i wanted to ask is if anubody has good experiences with osteopaths for treating whiplash? Or maybe other treatments? The thing is that chiro and osteopathy in our country are not recognised as medical treatments and are illadvidsed by doctors. My doctor just told me there is nothing that can be done except medication to supress the symptoms. Then again my doctor says this about everything. So I'm looking for some answers here. I did went to a osteopath who was recommended by my apothecary and a lot of things did improve. The first 2 times there was major improvement. But the 3th time didn't really help. Idk maybe it needs more time and we adressed some other areas then neck. Also how much time is there between sessions? I always need to wait 2 weeks in between but i feel that is a bit to long. Are there people who get treatment every week? I really don't know much about osteopathy since it is not accepted here.

[Mark in Idaho]

In the US, osteopaths often work side by side with medical doctors and chiropractors are recognized enough that they are paid by insurance for manipulations. There is a wide range of treatments and skills sets offered by either. It is not possible to set any kind of timeline either for treatments or recovery. You could add physical therapists or physiotherapists to the same group. I had a very inconsistent experience with osteopaths.

In my experience, the healing did not progress until I understood how to help my body heal. If the chiro or PT reduced the cause of the neck spasms, it was my responsibility to try to avoid triggering the return of those neck spasms. As time went by, I was able to increase the time between treatments.

I had to learn the best position for sleeping. I had to learn that when I went out to clean up the yard after my dogs, I needed to turn my head at the shoulders, not the neck as I scanned for targets. If I did need to turn my head, I learned to do it slower.

It took 2 years before my neck was stable enough to not need an occasional treatment. During this time, I learned how to sleep without waking up with a stiff neck. I found that sleeping in a reclining chair was often the best. I wish I had the option to get a hospital style adjustable bed.

A challenged I had was that at the same time as I was needing to help my neck heal, I started with progressive lenses for presbyopia. The need to lift my head to find the right part of the lens created a whole new challenge.

The challenge I see in your case is you need to define your recovery. There is no way to know how long a recovery will take or how complete that recovery will be. Anybody who tries to put a timeline to your recovery is either just selling hope or is clueless to the realities because they may over-value their own treatment skills.

Learning to accept the here and now is important as the anxiety over symptoms and recovery are often a big part of a prolonged recovery.

Here on NT, there have been a wide range of recovery times. A common denominator has often been quite simple. When the anxiety to recover is defeated and the healing process is allowed to set its own pace with the ups and down of symptoms, over time, those symptoms start to reduce. Those who feel they need a doctor or chiro or PT to treat them every time they notice an increase in symptoms tend to take the longest to heal.

Letting go of the day to day assessment of symptoms or healing timeline can be extremely helpful. The ah ha moments where one realizes, 'I have not had xyz symptom since I don't know when.' become more common place. Research supports this as it shows this acceptance of symptoms without anxiety about a recovery timeline improves outcome.

I hope you can sort through your days and find the behaviors and movements that are harmful and those that are helpful so you can help yourself heal.

My best to you.

[Lebber]

Thanks Mark, very true. I had a good discussion with my doctor and he basically told me the same thing. My stress is keeping my from healing. I was so anxious my body kept going into fight/flight mode and my muscle then tense which makes my symptoms worse. So he gave me the advice to slowly pick up my old activities and install normalcy in life. According to the doc i can have all the treatment i want, but i won't heal untill i relax.

I'm also ditching the osteopath. Last session things got worse. She is very trigger happy about spinal manipulations and does not really listen to my complaints. I also asked her for home excersises and tips but she doesnt want to give me any. I have the feeling she is tricking me into the thought of "you wont heal if you don't get my massage". I'm switching to physiotherapy so i can learn to actively do things myself.

My husband also told me to get of the internet and move on with life. He also told me believe you will heal instead of being constantly scared.

So thanks for the advice Mark. I will start getting active and move on in life