When I was growing up, one of my favorite places to go with my family was Canada's Wonderland. I remember they had the stand up roller coaster one year- wow what a thrill. Standing in line for about an hour was well worth it. Now they have crazy rides like Psyclone, Windseeker, and the Behemoth (see picture on the left). I never had any problems growing up, and most people do fine on all the rides at an amusement park. But you do you have be careful- neck pain, whiplash, minor sprains and strains can happen.
Why is this common, you may wonder? But think about it … most rides at amusement parks give you mild whiplash!
What do you mean, you ask. Well, whiplash is only a term they use for when you are driving and you are rear-ended. It can mean any time your head whips back and forth or side to side. So, it can be in the car, but it can also be from a fall on your back, from contact sports, a powerful sneeze even.
Now, think of the amusement park. There’s the bumper cars, roller coasters, not to mention smaller rides designed to spin and twist you around. There is fairly constant rattling of your neck. Most times when you neck gets jarred things re-align themselves, but occasionally they don’t.
Use your neck pillow that night for sure. Don’t take any chances. Helping re-align the neck will keep motion normal and will keep pressure off of nerves. This means no neck pain or neck discomfort!
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