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Whiplash
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Injuries to the neck caused by the sudden movement of head, backward, forward, or sideways, is referred to as "whiplash." Whiplash is most commonly received from riding in a car that is struck from behind or that collides with another object. Even though the car may have recieved little damage, occupants can suffer serious spinal injury. |
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Two million people are exposed to whiplash injury (related to an auto accident) in the U.S. every year.
When the head is suddenly jerked back and forth or side-to-side beyond its normal limits, ligaments supporting the neck vertebrae can be sprained (over-stretched) or torn, forcing vertebrae out of their normal position.
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The soft, pulpy discs between spinal bones can bulge, tear or rupture. Vertebrae can be forced out of their normal position, reducing range of motion. The spinal cord and nerve roots in the neck can get stretched and irritated.
While the occupants can suffer considerable soft tissue injury, the car may be only slightly damaged.
In tests of low speed rear impact collisions, it was reported that the threshold for cervical spine soft tissue injury was 5 mph.
Most rear impact accidents occur at crash speeds of 6 to 12 mph- speeds below the threshold for property damage to the vehicle- but sufficient to cause cervical injury.
Whiplash injuries to the cervical spine can occur in sports (skiing, hockey, football, cycling, ice skating, gymnastics, boxing), during falls (down a flight of stairs, on an icy sidewalk), and many more! |
The following are symptoms that can occur following a head/neck injury:
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Neck pain and/or stiffness
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Blurred or double vision
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Irritability
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Depression
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Fatigue
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Insomnia
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Dizziness/vertigo
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Pain between the shoulder blades
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Pain in the hands, arms, legs, feet
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Headaches, migraines
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Low back pain and/or stiffness
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Shoulder pain
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Nausea
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Ringing in the ears (tinnitus), hearing loss
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Numbness and tingling
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Jaw and/or face pain
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Post-concussion syndrome
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As the body attempts to adapt, symptoms may not appear for weeks or even months later. | |
The chiropractic approach to these types of injuries is to use specific chiropractic adjustments to help return spinal function. After a thourough case history and examination, the doctor will recommend a series of visits to help restore proper motion and position of spinal bones. If caught early enough, inflammation can be reduced and scar tissue can often be minimized. |
Specific chiropractic spinal adjustments can better assure proper healing, because they can help restore proper motion and position of individual spinal bones.
Consult a Doctor of Chiropractic before enduring constant headaces, depending upon addictive pain medication, or submitting to surgery. |
Why do minor collisions cause so much trauma to the spine?
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| The simple explanation is that in a more forceful car accident, the car itself absorbs much of the energy. In the more common car park "fender benders", the energy is more directly transferred to the driver and passengers.
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How long does a typical whiplash injury take to heal?
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| It depends. First of all, there is no such thing as a typical whiplash injury. There are so many different variables involved in a collision that it's not uncommon for two people to be in the same vehicle, and suffer different degrees of injury. Therefore, the healing time also varies greatly. Some people who have experienced a rear-end collision may suffer symptoms for just a few hours. Most people seem to recover in around six weeks. But the medical literature consistently shows that a significant percentage of people - around one out of three experience some kind of long-term symptoms after a crash.
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What's the best way to treat a whiplash injury?
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| It depends on the severity of the injury and the patient's needs. Very few whiplash injuries require surgical treatment or a hospital stay, but many whiplash patients go the emergency room as their first treatment, especially if the collision was severe. Drugs are often prescribed for whiplash patients, and they can be useful for short-term relief of pain. Long-term use of medications, however, can lead to dependency, and they drugs themselves do not help the injured tissues heal. The key to long-term health of the soft-tissues after injury is mobilization of the affected areas. This is best accomplished with spinal manipulation and muscular therapy, either alone or in combination.
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Can I prevent a whiplash injury?
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| Since car accidents are the major cause of whiplash injuries, defensive driving skills can help. Be sure your taillights and turn signals are working properly. Allow enough stopping distance in front of you. When you slow down or stop, always check your rear view mirror to see if the driver behind you is paying attention.
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What are the risk factors for long-term injury from a rear-end collision?
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There are hundreds of them. A recent engineering study attempted to predict which variables would result in injury in their test occupants exposed to low speed crashes. Even when taking into account 18 different measurable factors, their predictions were only 70% accurate. Over the past twenty years, researchers have compiled a list of factors and variables believed to influence the risk of injury:
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The angle of the collision
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The speed and size of the vehicles involved
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Road conditions
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Occupant head position
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Gender. Women are more likely to be injured than are men
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The proper use of head restraints
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Safety belts
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Secondary collisions
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Direct body impact
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Loss of consciousness
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Medical history. Pre-existing health conditions can increase the risk of injury
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Can a low speed collision (less than 10 mph) result in injury?
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| Yes. Nearly all engineers refuse to conduct rear-end test collisions over 5 mph because of the possibility of injury to the test occupants. For many years in the scientific community, it was believed that injury was impossible in low speed collisions, since the typical motion of the head seen during a higher speed collision did not occur. In the last few years, however, a whole new body of literature has shown that the cervical spine may actually be more at risk from a low speed collision than a higher speed collision.
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