UTEP led all Conference USA athletic programs in the final 2016-17 Division I Learfield Directors’ Cup standings, released this week.
The Learfield Directors’ Cup measures performance in NCAA Championship competition. The Miners scored a total of 242.5 points for a no. 83 national finish. The second-highest rated program in C-USA was Middle Tennessee with 217.5 points (91st), while Rice scored 142.5 points to rank 121st.
A total of 293 Division I athletic programs were ranked.
The Miners scored their points from men’s indoor track & field (50 points), men’s outdoor track & field (50 points), women’s outdoor track & field (50 points), men’s cross country (45 points), women’s indoor track & field (25 points) and men’s golf (22.5 points).
The UTEP men’s track & field team finished tied for 22nd at the NCAA Indoor Meet and tied for 23rd at NCAA Outdoors. Women’s track & field tied for 47th at NCAA Indoors and tied for 21st at NCAA Outdoors. Men’s cross country took 29th place at NCAAs. Men’s golf reached NCAA Regionals as a team for the first time since 2004.
The Learfield Directors’ Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in up to 20 sports in Division I — 10 men’s and 10 women’s.
The Miners Hockey Club has announced they will open the 2017-18 season on the road against Texas A&M on September 29, 2017 at the Spirit Ice Arena. This matchup kicks off conference play for the new season.
The Miners and Aggies opened up their season last year in College Station. The first game saw the two teams trade goals back and forth and ended up going into overtime. Neither team scored in OT, however the Miners were able to win the game 7-6 in a shootout.
The following night, the Miners and Aggies were back at it. Again both teams didn’t have issues scoring early. However, the Aggies outscored the Miners to win 5-3.
Opening up the second half of the season, the Miners and Aggies faced off in El Paso. The first game once again saw the Miners come out strong. They took the first game 6-3. However, they couldn’t get the home sweep against the Aggies. The Aggies would win 2-1.
“We are starting our conference play against one of the strongest teams. It’s no secret A&M has had a strong club for several years. Although we have only played them a handful of times, the games are always exciting and something our team looks forward too.” commented Coach Herman.
Last season, the Miners finished 1st in the South Division and the Aggies were a close 2nd. During the TCHC tournament, the teams were in opposite brackets for a potential matchup for the championship. However, the Aggies were upset by UT in overtime the opening game.
The Miners went on to win the TCHC Championship by defeating the DBU Patriots by a score of 6-0.
Both teams will look to build on their success from last season as the TCHC enters it’s second year.
The Miners Hockey Club has announced they will open the�2017-18 season on the road against Texas A&M on September 29, 2017 at the Spirit Ice Arena. This matchup kicks off conference play for the new season.
The Miners and Aggies opened up their season last year in College Station. The first game saw the two teams trade goals back and forth and ended up going into overtime. Neither team scored in OT, however the Miners were able to win the game 7-6 in a shootout.
The following night, the Miners and Aggies were back at it. Again both teams didn�t have issues scoring early. However, the Aggies outscored the Miners to win 5-3.
Opening up the second half of the season, the Miners and Aggies faced off in El Paso. The first game once again saw the Miners come out strong. They took the first game 6-3. However, they couldn�t get the home sweep against the Aggies. The Aggies would win 2-1.
�We are starting our conference play against one of the strongest teams. It�s no secret A&M has had a strong club for several years. Although we have only played them a handful of times, the games are always exciting and something our team looks forward too.� commented Coach Herman.
Last season, the Miners finished 1st in the South Division and the Aggies were a close 2nd. During the TCHC tournament, the teams were in opposite brackets for a potential matchup for the championship. However, the Aggies were upset by UT in overtime the opening game.
The Miners went on to win the TCHC Championship by defeating the DBU Patriots by a score of 6-0.
Both teams will look to build on their success from last season as the TCHC enters it�s second year.
Why do they deploy in some instances and not others?
The module monitors various vehicle systems and contains a threshold for deployment; in simpler terms, this usually means the collision must meet specific settings to deploy an airbag. The idea is exactly the same while the system of every automobile brand is specifically different from the next.
If the collision, as computed by the module, is intense enough, it’ll deploy the appropriate airbag(s). The module has the final say when an airbag is deployed, this is software & hardware dependent.
The module can understand, through onboard accelerometers, changes in the vehicles direction and speed. The module constantly calculates these changes and when it “sees” a switch beyond preset thresholds it begins to track, quite tightly, the fluctuations (this is called algorithm enablement). If it establishes that the changes meet the standards for airbag deployment, it’ll deploy the appropriate airbag(s).
Many vehicles also have failsafe sensors mounted in the car that are designed as a secondary mechanical and/or diagnostic triggering system. These detectors are mounted under the radiator, when crushed or damaged, they force an airbag deployment, generally on the vehicle’s front.
People also often ask whether the vehicle detects if a chair is occupied, in order to deploy an airbag. The driver�s seat is obvious, beyond this, the front passenger seat has a pressure sensor in it which can tell when a predetermined amount of weight is on it, and the rest of the seats use the seatbelt latch (vehicle specific). When you’re driving a vehicle, the module also monitors the status of the pressure sensors and seatbelts, it then uses this data to make the best choice possible about which airbags to deploy and when.
Collision Report Explanations and What to Expect
I’m frequently asked about a specialists report, but the most frequent subset questions are on the lack of aid for findings from the report. Since it is of private & professional interest I have chosen to tackle this question.
“I got this collision pro’s report but there does not seem to be any explanation for his findings, is this normal?”
Yes and No. Yes, this occurs; no, it’s not standard. All professional disciplines of post primary education are based in criteria that were scholarly & accredited.
Collison reconstruction specialists are no different. While not necessary part of an graduate or undergraduate curriculum, the training and instruction they have is based on exactly the identical licensed & scholarly training and education – because of the correlation, the exact same standard ought to be applied to collision reconstruction professionals. Scholarly research relies on procedures of peer reviewed and investigation, testing, and scrutiny before being approved.
When an expert offers an opinion without saying supporting scholarly documentation it’s not useless, but rather it stands alone; it’s simply his opinion. Conversely, as soon as an expert offers and opinion with proper supporting documentation that was scholarly, expertise, all the work, and research is provided with his opinion.
Additional and Minimal Costs in Auto Accidents
Often times an appraisal for repairs is used to justify “low speed” by citing minimum costs. There are a few points regarding so the question is These to consider:
Is the recorded price on the appraisal an accurate reflection of damage?
The long answer begins with understanding who did the assessment and what is there background? Normally, appraisers are trained by the insurer — as such, decreasing the costs and expenses of repair is at the interests of the insurance company. Secondly, a vehicle is not disassembled to learn if there is any damage, especially in low speed collisions by most appraisers.
The next issue is when replacement parts are required where do they come from? Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) components cost considerably more than Equal or Like Quality (ELQ) components, like ELQ components are the preferred choice of insurance businesses. It would cost the industry millions more when making repairs to use OEM parts as opposed to ELQ parts. Along this exact same line, paint’s quality also varies. Paint manufacturers provide paint systems that are very durable and will meet with the OEM specifications paints they also offer more economically tightly or paint which is not quite as durable color matched to the first, and as anticipated, it costs less.
The last problem to discuss is occupation downtime. The longer there is a vehicle in for repairs the more it costs the insurance provider in fees. While a shop can, and will, have a minimum quantity of time to fix the vehicle the insurance company is going to maintain them on this time frame and constantly press to be completed. This drive can make an environment where the repair facility will sacrifice quality of workmanship to finish for a profit margin that is much better.
The above factors greatly dictate the final amount making it overly subjective for a trusted stage to confirm the threshold of harm; in different terms, using “low cost” as a justification for no harm is not appropriate as no causality relationship is different. If a breakdown of the repair invoice is supplied, you efficiently show the bias towards reducing the cost of the repair and can objectively cost the repair components.
The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic and spinal injuries and conditions. To discuss options on the subject matter, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .�
Additional Topics: Weakened Ligaments After Whiplash
Whiplash is a commonly reported injury after an individual has been involved in an automobile accident. During an auto accident, the sheer force of the impact often causes the head and neck of the victim to jerk abruptly, back-and-forth, causing damage to the complex structures surrounding the cervical spine. Chiropractic care is a safe and effective, alternative treatment option utilized to help decrease the symptoms of whiplash.
In the last two writings we explored how low speed collisions can have substantial energy transfers with minimal (if any) damage. Here we will discuss the myth of “no damage = no injury” from a vehicle appearance / design point of view and how it relates to injury in a collision.
So as to get into this subject, we need a little history lesson first. With vehicle style being the topic of focus, the industry exploded after World War II. The jet age influenced bumpers, headlights and taillight’s fins. Something else happened too, for the first time in the automobile’s history, vehicles were more than “around town” horse-less buggies; the power of their engines and speeds potential dawned a whole new arena — security. In the 1960’s vehicle aesthetics began to compromise with safety. Automotive designers started to consider topics like; occupant restraints structural integrity, and crash worthiness.
The industry faced slow growth and change into the 1980’s, each revision or change did bring with it progress and progress but not enough at any one time to be a huge leap forward. The changes which were necessary, were too experimental, too cost prohibitive, or just too market risky. Then in the 1980’s a revolution in business started to take hold — the computer. The personal computer allowed for design changes to be done with efficiency. Once plugged in and switched on the days spend calculating double function and variables became complicated than a few clicks.
The computer made it possible for car manufacturers to reduce years of conventional design and research practices into only a month or two and at the same time it allowed for much more cost effective experimentation and new process development.
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No Vehicle Damage Doesn’t Guarantee No Injuries
Now that We’ve completed history 101 let Us discuss the topic of Stage – “no damage = no injury”
Vehicle layout, as an approach or concept, has undergone a considerable overhaul in recent years. The change has influenced the use of bumper covers. The long standing tradition in design is to make them of a alloy and to put the outside or separate from the body. (Consider all those classics in “American Graffiti”). The bumper was designed to function as a compliment to the vehicle’s appearance. The safety perspective was non-existent with respect as they were no longer than a sacrificial lamb to save the body.
In the early 1970’s federal mandates designed to make vehicles safer forced the producers to engineer larger and much more structurally sound designs. The most noted changes where the moving of bumper away from the body itself to an essential part of the car’s body. This “afterthought” look borrowed from the truck world was the standard until the late 1980’s. Three things changed in the 1980’s: First, bumpers began to move to behind urethane bumper covers in usage.
This gave a look to vehicles and assisted with aerodynamics. Because aesthetics were no more part of the equation, bumpers became stronger and included the use of energy absorbing material between the bumper structure and the bumper cover. Finally, automotive paints had also advanced, including the ability to resist cracking & flaking, and paint had become elastic.
These changes also had another positive side effect; because of the elastic properties of urethane and the paint, minor collisions, even those which damaged the bumper behind them, no longer seemed as serious. Often times a bumper cover needed more than some paint and prep, where past designs necessitated changing the bumper.
The largest change between older design and the new one, is the inherent elasticity of the new bumper covers. These covers can, and do, rebound into the design they have been formed in and the use of paint that is elastic means the paint is likely to rebound as well. The assessment of speed from damage is currently poorer while signs of impact are evident. Obviously when a steel bumper is distorted it remains that way leaving no room for underestimation.
Notice how we have not discussed these design changes have gained energy transfer; and this isn’t any mistake. There are no groundbreaking points. Changes in vehicle design is not going to ease violation of laws of physics. All these design changes is make the energy transfer in a low speed crash less costly and less apparent.
Evaluating Vehicle Damage
However, there are Just demonstrable measures that can be taken to assess the effects of energy transfer in no apparent damage collisions:
Remove the cover of the bumper and inspect the materials below the “skin” of the bumper for internal damage
Check the angle of the passenger seat. The factory at a angle and when the occupant is thrown backwards, often the seat angle changes rendering evidence of force transfer sets seats
Have the swivel tested with a laser apparatus most repair shops use to make sure the frame of the car is “plumb.” Even a 1-degree variation will be evident and often the chassis gets distorted and that requires energy transfer.
The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic and spinal injuries and conditions. To discuss options on the subject matter, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .�
Additional Topics: Weakened Ligaments After Whiplash
Whiplash is a commonly reported injury after an individual has been involved in an automobile accident. During an auto accident, the sheer force of the impact often causes the head and neck of the victim to jerk abruptly, back-and-forth, causing damage to the complex structures surrounding the cervical spine. Chiropractic care is a safe and effective, alternative treatment option utilized to help decrease the symptoms of whiplash.
It’s high season for grilling and backyard barbecues, with July 4 celebrations planned across the country. But experts say it’s important to be aware that the popular summer pastime is riddled with minefields when it comes to health and food safety.
“Grilling is generally a healthy way to cook food if you take certain precautions,” says registered dietitian Joan Salge Blake, an associate professor at Boston University’s Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.
Here are some tips from Blake and other experts:
Avoid food contamination: Mixing cooked food with juices from raw meat is a big no-no. “When it comes to food safety, we have to be careful about cross-contamination,” Blake tells Newsmax Health. “People bring the raw meat out on a platter, grill it and then put it back on the same platter without washing it. That’s how you can transfer pathogens that can cause a range of food-borne illnesses.”
Use a thermometer: You can’t trust your eyes to tell you whether or not meat is cooked enough. “One in four hamburgers turn brown prematurely, before they are at a safe internal temperature to be consumed,” says Blake. “Rather than trust our vision to determine if food is safe to eat, use a meat thermometer and make sure the internal heat is at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.”
Keep the flame down: Cooking with high heat from an open fire creates carcinogenic compounds in beef, pork, poultry, and seafood. So while that flame-licked steak or salmon may have a great grilled flavor, it also contains heterocyclic amines (HCAs) from the charred part and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from the fire’s smoke. Lab studies suggest that they can cause mutations in DNA that may boost the risk of cancer.
Pre-cook meat: One way to reduce HCAs and PAHs is to partially cook meat — by boiling or microwave — before grilling it. That will reduce the time it is exposed to the high heat and smoke that creates these dangerous compounds.
Flip frequently: “You want to keep turning the meat to keep it from getting charred, because that’s where the [biggest] problem is,” says Blake. “If it does get charred, don’t eat that part.” Aim to flip grilled foods at least once a minute.
Foil flare-ups: One thing that can make the flame flare up is when fat from the meat drips down to the heating source. Blake suggests putting some foil down on the grill, which will keep the melted fat from hitting the flame.
Use marinade: Studies show that marinades can significantly reduce the HCAs and PAHs in grilled meat. Researchers believe it works by helping to keep the meat moist, and it can also improve flavor. One study showed that using the herb rosemary lowered HCA levels by 90 percent. Other things that can cut down on the bad compounds are garlic, onion and honey.
Watch your sauce: Blake warns not to use the leftover marinade for a sauce on the grilled meat, unless you cook it as well, because it could contain bacteria and other pathogens from the raw meat.
Grill veggies: “One of the best things you can do for overall health is to grill more vegetables than protein sources,” says Blake. “They don’t produce HCAs and PAHs, and they have a wide range of health benefits.”
Be fire smart: The most obvious health threat of grilling is the fire itself. According to the National Fire Prevention Association, about 9,000 blazes are sparked by grills every year, causing an average of 10 deaths, 160 injuries and more than $100 million in property damage.
Using common sense can reduce fire risks. The NFPA cites the main fire causes as placing the grill too close to anything that can burn, not cleaning it regularly, and leaving it unattended. If you’re using a propane grill, don’t turn the gas on for too long before lighting it. You should also check lines and connections for leaks.
Popular hormone-based drugs for treating an enlarged prostate could increase men’s risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease or stroke, a new study suggests.
A group of German men taking the drug Avodart (dutasteride) for three years wound up with higher blood sugar and cholesterol levels than men taking another class of prostate medication that does not affect male hormones, the researchers reported.
“Our small study suggests there are really adverse effects on metabolic function from these drugs that has not been reported previously,” said lead researcher Abdulmaged Traish. He is a professor of urology with the Boston University School of Medicine.
But Dr. Ashutosh Tewari, chair of urology for the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, said the new findings run counter to prior clinical trials of the drug, and do not warrant any change in use at this time.
Still, Traish believes urologists should talk about these new results with patients before prescribing either Avodart or another hormone-based prostate drug called Proscar (finasteride). Both are in the class of drugs known as 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors.
“They should have a clear, open and honest discussion with their patients,” Traish said. “This drug might cause some of these problems.”
However, according to Tewari, “This is an interesting finding which is a little different than the large ‘controlled’ studies. It needs to be studied in a larger pool of patients in a prospective manner.”
The association seen in the study doesn’t prove a cause-and-effect relationship.
The prostate is a walnut-sized gland surrounding the urethra where it connects to the bladder. The prostate produces fluid that goes into semen, and is essential for male fertility. But as men age, their prostates tend to enlarge, pinching the urethra and making urination more difficult.
Avodart reduces production of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone linked to enlargement of the prostate gland. Treatment with Avodart can cause a man’s prostate to shrink by roughly 18 percent to 20 percent, Traish noted.
“The men urinate a little bit better,” Traish said. “They don’t have to stand an hour and a half in the bathroom at the airport.”
However, DHT also plays an important role in the function of other organs, particularly the liver, Traish said. He and his colleagues are concerned that reducing DHT could have other unknown health effects.
To examine the issue, Traish’s team reviewed records of 460 men treated at a single urologist’s office in Germany for enlarged prostate.
Half of the men had been prescribed Avodart to treat their problem, and the other half had been prescribed Flomax (tamsulosin). Flomax, in the class of drugs known as alpha-blockers, does not affect hormones, but works by causing the smooth muscle tissue of the prostate to relax, Traish said.
The researchers tracked all of the men for 36 to 42 months, performing blood tests and assessing prostate size and function.
Avodart was linked to an ongoing rise in blood sugar levels among men who received the drug, while men taking Flomax did not experience any such increase, the study authors said.
Further, long-term Avodart treatment was linked to increased “bad” LDL cholesterol levels in men, the investigators found. Men on Flomax experienced a smaller but yet significant increase in their LDL cholesterol levels, but also had an increase in their “good” HDL cholesterol levels, the findings showed.
Based on his findings, Traish said he would lean toward prescribing Flomax first rather than a hormone-based prostate drug.
“I would rather have my patient try something safer, and if it works for him, keep him on that,” Traish said.
Tewari noted that the clinical trials that found Avodart effective in treating enlarged prostate did not show any of these other metabolic problems.
Those clinical trials relied on men being randomly assigned Avodart, Tewari said. The men in this new study were not assigned medication randomly, but were allowed to choose their treatment following discussion with a doctor.
The new study also did not compare men taking Avodart to a control group taking a placebo, and relied on past data rather than an entirely new experiment, Tewari continued.
“This is interesting, yet needs to be verified in a controlled setting with a larger pool of patients,” Tewari explained. “At this time, I’m not too impressed with any clinical significance of this study.”
The study was published online recently in the journal Hormone Molecular Biology and Clinical Investigation.
“The clinical diagnosis shows a disc bulge in their neck and some arthritis, so their neck symptoms are not associated with the crash. Lots of folks have those and do not have pain although it could be a minimal herniation. It’s our diagnosis that it was there before the crash.” This statement from an adjuster is an argument that has been made for many years, allowing insurance companies to inappropriately reduce settlements to their clients based on the client’s inability to prove when or how the damage or injury occurred. To factually counter this sort of statement, an individual must use imaging and age dating to discuss causality. Without medical experts utilizing the current medical and academic research available, it will continue to be difficult for any argument to be made explaining effects of these injuries and their mechanism based on fact vs. rhetoric.
Imaging of the spine is critically important in most cases of injured clients. In cases, imaging is necessary for proper diagnosis and future management of injuries. Imaging needs to be performed as per the academic and modern criteria to ensure an accurate diagnosis. The most common injuries in car accidents are spinal related, and the simple imaging available includes x-rays, CAT scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), allowing medical providers to make an accurate diagnosis, when medically indicated.
Every medical provider has a permit to see and treat automobile related injuries. However a “license” is not the same as “specialization.” By way of example, though psychiatrists may have a license to do heart surgery and are MDs, it would not be in the patient’s best interest. Nor would I go to a spine surgeon for psychological concerns although they are licensed to treat medical conditions. In spinal trauma, certain suppliers specialize in connective tissue injuries of the spine, allowing us to go one step farther in diagnosis, prognosis and management, including “age-dating” these generally found disc and ligament injuries.
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Understanding Age-Dating of Injuries
To understand age-dating, one wants to have a basic medical understanding of anatomy and physiology, and what tissue is commonly injured and the probable “pain generator”. Since neck injuries are the most common injuries cervical joints will be our focus. Related to anatomy, every set of two vertebrae in the neck is connected with three joints; two facet joints and a single disc. These joints allow for normal movement of the spine (mobility). There are multiple ligaments that are responsible for stability and hold together these joints. The correct balance of mobility and stability is critical when looking at the part of patient’s injuries, meaning that too little or too much movement in spinal joints can lead to pain, secondary to damaged tissue. The tissue most commonly hurt in a car crash is nerve, ligament, disc, facet and muscle/tendon. Spinal cord and bone injuries also happen although less frequently. To determine causality, the supplier should comment on what tissue is injured, and also use imaging to help determine if this injury occurred (age-dating).
There are two fundamental problems that must be addressed. Fardon and Milette (2001) reported, “The phrase ‘herniated disc’ does not infer knowledge of cause, relation to trauma or activity, concordance with symptoms, or need for treatment” (p. E108). Simply having a disc herniation’s presence, without a physical exam or without symptom documentation that is appropriate, does not allow one to comment on the cause of the injury. In a rear impact collision by way of example, even if the diagnosis is confirmed, additional criteria will need to be fulfilled to answer the question of “Was there sufficient force generated into the vehicle and the occupant to induce the cervical/lumbar herniation?” Fardon, in a follow-up study (2014) reported that disc injury “in the absence of significant imaging evidence of associated violent injury, should be classified as degeneration rather than trauma.” (p. 2531). Thus, we must more objectively define the subjective connotations of “violent injury” and address the issue of “degeneration as opposed to trauma”. Although this statement can frequently be misleading, it gives the trauma trained expert doctor a basis in going forward understanding that every patient’s physiology is unique and not subject to rhetoric, but clinical findings.
Violent injury to the occupant can occur when there are sudden acceleration and deceleration forces (g’s) generated to the neck and head which overwhelm connective tissue or pull them past their physiological limit. To determine the acceleration force, ?V (delta V) is utilized. ?V is the change in speed of the occupant vehicle when it is hit from behind (i.e., going from a stopped position to seven mph in 0.5 seconds because of forces moved from the “bullet” vehicle to the “target” vehicle). Utilizing these data, research allows us to make specific comments related to violent injury. Since the cervical spine is subjected to shearing forces, and compression, tension we are oversimplifying. Along with g-forces and the elastic nature of the majority of rear impact crashes makes it almost impossible to discover an actual minimum threshold for injury even though the literature has given us many examples of low-speed crashes which are dependent not simply on speed, but the mass (weight) of the subject vehicles. Each individual’s susceptibility to injury is unique. While g-forces alone are insufficient to predict injury, Krafft et al. (2002) reported that in low-speed collisions there’s an injury threshold of 4.2 g’s for males and 3.6 g’s for females. Krafft’s analysis is unique in that she has access to insurance data inaccessible to researchers. Panjabi (2004) revealed that forces as low as 3.5g impacts would lead to damage to the front of the disc, and 6.5g and 8g impacts would lead to disc damage posteriorly where the neurological components are.
Diagnosis for Disc and Ligament Injuries
A spinal biomechanical expert can look for evidence that is conclusive by disc and pathology, according to two phenomena. First, it is recognized that the body is electric. We’re measuring activity to diagnose when an EMG is done. Second, there are bioelectrical fields in all tissues. This typical field is disrupted when an injury occurs, and in the case of joints calcium is drawn to the damaged tissue. Issacson and Bloebaum (2010) reported “The particular loading pattern of bone has been documented as a significant piezoelectric parameter since potential gaps in bone have been known to be due to charge displacement during the deformation period” (p. 1271). For the patient, we have the ability to tell just how much of this process has occurred before or after their crash, especially if we take into consideration the tissue damage and signs of bone/calcium deposition.
In addition, the body begins a healing process that includes regeneration and remodeling of the soft and hard tissue as reported by Issacson and Bloebaum (2010). Spinal vertebrae have a unique structure of bone which allows it to adapt to abnormal mobility and stability (injury) by changing shape, which can be found on radiographs or MRI. Moreover, shape will change according to patterns based on the pressure or load it undergoes post-injury. Issacson and Bloebaum stated that “Physical forces exerted on a bone change bone structure and is a well-established principle…” (p. 1271). This is a further understanding of a scientific principle called Wolff’s law established in the 1800’s. Because we know what “normal” is, when we see “abnormal” findings as a result of mechanical stress we could broach the topic of an acute injury versus a degenerative process being the cause of the abnormality and create specific medical predictions accordingly.
He and Xinghua (2006) studied the predictability of the bone remodeling process and were able to make predictions of pathological changes that will occur in bone, specifically the osteophyte (bone spur) on the edge of a bone structure. Significantly, they noted their findings “confirmed that osteophyte formation was an adaptive process in response to this change of mechanical environment”. They noted that factors are crucial to the morphology of bones, particularly bones such as the femur and vertebrae.
For readers familiar with current academic and medical accepted nomenclature for disc injury, recognized from the combined task forces of the North American Spine Society (NASS), the American Society of Spine Radiology (ASSR) and the American Society of Neuroradiology (ASNR), disc herniations must have a directional component. When this occurs, the additional and abnormal pressure at the level of the disc damage matched with the direction of the herniation will cause that section of the vertebrae.
Thus, if there’s a C5/6 right sided herniation (protrusion/extrusion) secondary to a cervical acceleration/deceleration injury, then only that side of the vertebrae will change shape, creating an osteophyte. Facet arthritis is additionally caused by this compounded loading on the facet joint. This process is very similar to the formation of a callous on your hand or foot. The callous is a recognized and expected tissue response to increased load/friction exposure. Similarly, an osteophyte is a known and anticipated bone response to a rise in load/friction exposure.
At a basic level, the body has an electrical and mechanical response to injury leading to additional stress that leads to calcium (bone) to flow in the region of injury to further support the joint. The joint then abnormally grows, developing a called hypertrophy, degeneration, disc osteophyte complex, or arthritis/arthropathy, common terms seen in the reports of doctor and radiology.
Everybody is subject to these morphological (structural) changes, always and predictably determined by mechanical imbalances in the spine. He and Xinghua (2006) concluded that, “…it will actually take about over half a year to discover the bone morphological changes…” (p. 101). This indicates that it takes approximately six months to get an osteophyte (bone spur) to be demonstrable post-mechanical breakdown or failure. This again provides a time frame to better understand whether pathology of the intervertebral disc has been present for a long period of time (pre-existing) or has been produced as the direct result of the specific traumatic event by deficiency of the existence of an osteophyte, meaning the disc pathology is less than six months old, dependent on location and management of the pathology.
Conclusion
In conclusion, that by definition, a disc is a ligament connecting a bone to a bone and it has the structural responsibility to the vertebrae above and below to maintain the spinal system in equilibrium. Damage to the disc because of a tear (herniation or annular fissure) or a bulge will create abnormal load-bearing forces in the injury site. These present differently based on [1] if traumatic failure on the side of the disc lesion, or [2] if age related, as a general complex. Since other research and human subject crash testing have defined the term “violent trauma” as not being dependent upon the amount of damage done to the vehicle but rather to the forces to which the neck and head are exposed, we can now accurately predict in a demonstrable way the timing of causality of this disc lesion. This depends upon the symptomatology of the the morphology of the structure and is a subject that can be predicated upon speculation or rhetoric.
The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic and spinal injuries and conditions. To discuss options on the subject matter, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .�
References:
Fardon, D. F., & Milette, P. C. (2001). Nomenclature and classification of lumbar disc pathology: Recommendations of the combined task forces of the North American Spine Society, American Society of Spine Radiology, and American Society of Neuroradiology.�Spine, 26(5), E93�E113.
Fardon, D. F., Williams, A. L., Dohring, E. J., Murtagh, F. R., Rothman, S. L. G., & Sze, G. K. (2014). Lumbar Disc Nomenclature: Version 2.0:�Recommendations of the combined task forces of the North American Spine Society, American Society of Spine Radiology, and American Society of Neuroradiology.�Spine,�14(11), 2525-2545.
Krafft, M., Kullgren, A., Malm, S., and Ydenius, A. (2002). Influence of crash severity on various whiplash injury symptoms: A study based on real life rear end crashes with recorded crash pulses.� In�Proc. 19th�Int. Techn. Conf. on ESV, Paper�No. 05-0363, 1-7
Batterman, S.D., Batterman, S.C. (2002). Delta-V, Spinal Trauma, and the Myth of the Minimal Damage Accident.�Journal of Whiplash & Related Disorders, 1:1, 41-64.
Panjabi, M.M. et al. (2004). Injury Mechanisms of the Cervical Intervertebral Disc During Simulated Whiplash.�Spine 29 (11): 1217-25.
Issacson, B. M., & Bloebaum, R. D. (2010). Bone electricity: What have we learned in the past 160 years?�Journal of Biomedical Research, 95A(4), 1270-1279.
Studin, M., Peyster R., Owens W., Sundby P. (2016) Age dating disc injury: Herniations and bulges, Causally Relating Traumatic Discs.
Frost, H. M. (1994). Wolff’s Law and bone’s structural adaptations to mechanical usage: an overview for clinicians.�The Angle Orthodontist, 64(3), 175-188.
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Additional Topics: Weakened Ligaments After Whiplash
Whiplash is a commonly reported injury after an individual has been involved in an automobile accident. During an auto accident, the sheer force of the impact often causes the head and neck of the victim to jerk abruptly, back-and-forth, causing damage to the complex structures surrounding the cervical spine. Chiropractic care is a safe and effective, alternative treatment option utilized to help decrease the symptoms of whiplash.
In the prior writing we explored the criteria for vehicle integrity. In this writing we’ll expand on conservation of momentum. You’re encouraged to do so when you haven’t read the previous article.
Contents
Expanding on Conservation of Momentum
Remember we previously said, “The momentum moving into a collision could be accounted for at the outcome” when we discussed the concept of conservation of momentum. Here we will introduce the formula and walk through its parts; we have to comprehend this in order to explore each other influence.
The full formula:
Let�s walk through this, on the left side of the equation we have which is the weight of the first vehicle before the collision multiplied by which is the velocity (in feet per second) of the first vehicle before the collision. is the weight of the second vehicle before the collision times which is the velocity (in feet per second) of the second vehicle before the collision. On the right side of the equation we have which is the weight of the first vehicle after the collision multiplied by which is the velocity (in feet per second) of the first vehicle after the collision. is the weight of the second vehicle after the collision times which is the velocity (in feet per second) of the second vehicle after the collision.
Ok, I know this looks very intricate and the explanation is not jumping off the page so let’s write with a bit more ease of comprehension. Let us take the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) standards for testing and place two of the identical mass vehicles in this. Let us use a 2012 Toyota Corolla, and we will say the other is blue and one is red because we need two of them.
Red Corolla * 5 mph + Blue Corolla * 0 mph = Red Corolla * 0 mph + Blue Corolla * 5 mph
The 2012 Toyota Corolla has a curb weight of 2,734 pounds, substituted in the formula it looks like this:
Now when we do the math to show the conservation of momentum we end up with the following:
20,094.9 + 0 = 0 + 20,094.9
20,094.9 = 20,094.9
Momentum conserved
Now we have proved the concept so we are going to apply it to a collision involving two different vehicles. We will substitute the 2012 red Toyota Corolla for a 2012 red Chevrolet Tahoe. The 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe weighs 5,448 lbs. Now the formula looks like this:
Red Tahoe * 5 mph + Blue Corolla * 0 mph = Red Tahoe * 0 mph + Blue Corolla * 9.96 mph
Now when we do the math to show the conservation of momentum we end up with the following:
40,042.8 + 0 = 0 + 40,042.8[1]
40,042.8 = 40,042.8
Momentum conserved
Three significant points can be observed in this protest.
First, when testing is done notice the change in rate at the Tahoe is 5 mph (5 to 0). This is less than the rates used by the Insurance Institute and we would expect the Tahoe to have minimal damage and no structural deformation.
The second point to note is the change in speed the Corolla experiences, 9.96 mph (0 to 9.96). This change in speed is four times the original.
Conclusion
Finally, neither vehicle exceeds the speed of 10 mph, which the automobile manufactures and insurance institute for highway safety often consider threshold for injury. This confirms that cars can easily deform and residents become injured in low speed crashes once you begin to check out the conservation of energy (momentum) and coefficient of forces moved to the target car.
The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic and spinal injuries and conditions. To discuss options on the subject matter, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .� References
Edmunds.com. (2012). 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe Specifications. Retrieved from Edmunds.com: www.edmunds.com
Edmunds.com. (2012). 2012 Toyota Corolla Sedan Specifications. Retrieved from Edmunds.com: www.edmunds.com
Brault J., Wheeler J., Gunter S., Brault E., (1998) Clinical Response of Human Subjects to Rear End Automobile Collisions. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 72-80.
Additional Topics: Weakened Ligaments After Whiplash
Whiplash is a commonly reported injury after an individual has been involved in an automobile accident. During an auto accident, the sheer force of the impact often causes the head and neck of the victim to jerk abruptly, back-and-forth, causing damage to the complex structures surrounding the cervical spine. Chiropractic care is a safe and effective, alternative treatment option utilized to help decrease the symptoms of whiplash.
You may be familiar with osteoporosis, the so-called “brittle bone” disease, but there is another condition – sarcopenia – that can lead to disability as we age, a top expert says.
“Sarcopenia is an age-related condition that can make walking and daily functioning difficult. It can also set the stage for bone fractures but, unlike osteoporosis, few people are aware of it,” Dr. Neerav Padilya, Ph.D., tells Newsmax Health.
Sarcopenia is defined as condition resulting in age-related loss of muscle mass, strength, and function, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) says.
The condition was first described in 1997, and experts – including the NIH – say it is an independent risk factor for physical disability, unrelated to age or other health problems.
Our bones get larger and stronger until the age of 30, when muscle mass begins to diminish, and sarcopenia can begin to set in, says Padilya, vice president of research at Qurr, a New Jersey based company which makes a supplement that targets the condition.
“We rely upon our muscle mass for our mobility, as well as to maintain balance, so if you start to lose it due to sarcopenia, by time you’re in your late 60s or 70s, this will have a direct impact on your life,” adds Padilya, a researcher and patent-holding inventor.
“The condition also causes a lack of hand grip strength, so if this becomes weak, imagine trying to open a jar of pickles,” he adds.
In addition, a loss of muscle mass may increase the risk of diabetes, he says.
Research studies note that increased muscle mass can help the body handle glucose, reducing the risk of the disease, Padilya notes.
But the biggest danger that sarcopenia poses, says Padilya, is that it predisposes people to falling, and suffering a potentially life-threatening fracture.
“About 50 percent of the people over the age of 65 that die have suffered a fracture, so it is a very serious problem,” he adds.
Since muscle mass begins to diminish in your 30s, it’s never too early – or too late – to take steps to prevent sarcopenia, says Padilya.
Here are his recommendations:
Make sure you are eating enough protein. Eat foods with protein uniformly at meals throughout the day, not only at dinner. Consume 60 grams of protein daily, or 20 grams at each meal.
Get up and move. Even a small amount of activity on a daily basis really helps you reduce body fat and maintain muscle.
Introduce weight lifting and resistance training into your exercise program.
Make sure you’re getting enough vitamin D. Take a multi-vitamin with vitamin D in it, and also make sure you are getting calcium from milk or eggs. Bone health and muscle health are closely connected.
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