Whiplash - Why pain and symptoms sometimes only start days after an accident.

Why pain and symptoms sometimes only start days after an accident

At BRAI3N, we often get the question: “Is it possible that my pain only started a few days after my whiplash?”

The answer is resounding: yes!

Recent brain research confirms that chronic pain and even memory or concentration problems can only occur later after an accident.
Scientists found that changes occur in the brain, especially in the network around the hippocampus and areas responsible for attention, emotion, and stress, within the first few days after the trauma.

Remarkably, the stronger the anxiety response after the accident, the greater the chance that the brain will perceive that event as threatening, which can increase chronic pain or complaints.

Within our own research at BRAI3N, including fibromyalgia and tinnitus, we also found evidence that the Locus Coeruleus, a nucleus in the brain stem that controls wakefulness and stress, may play an important role in this.

The good news?
The brain is plastic! Thanks to techniques such as neuromodulation, we can re-influence those faulty pain networks, which can help improve the symptoms.

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