Do you have neck pain from an injury or fender bender?  If you’ve been to the doctor and ruled out a concussion or other major injury, chances are you have whiplash.  The good news is that whiplash often heals on its own.  The bad news is that the pain is hard to ignore.

Whiplash pain can be immediate, or sometimes it creeps up on you several days after the incident.  Your doctor probably told you to ice, ice, ice from the onset of pain.  Ice reduces swelling of overstretched muscles and ligaments.  After several days of icing and when the swelling is down, you may switch to moist heat to increase circulation, speed up healing and ease stiff muscles.  For more information on how to use cold and hot therapy, see this article from the University of Rochester Medical Center.

In addition to cold and hot therapy for treating whiplash, there are other lifestyle adjustments you can make to give your neck a break.  Gently move your neck regularly to prevent further stiffness.  If you work at a desk or computer, take regular breaks.  Avoid cradling the telephone between your ear and shoulder.  Avoid lifting heavy packages and over stuffing your pocketbook.  And, NEVER carry a backpack over one shoulder.

Maine Warmers’ Extra Long Neck Warmer is the perfect size and shape for icing and heating neck muscles after whiplash.  The whole corn, when frozen, is gentle and conforms easily to the shape of your neck.  When microwaved, the corn’s moist heat penetrates safely into deep muscles and ligaments.