Back Clinic Whiplash Chiropractic Physical Therapy Team. Whiplash is a collective term used to describe injuries to the cervical spine (neck). This condition often results from an automobile crash, which suddenly forces the neck and head to whip back and forth (hyperflexion/hyperextension). Almost 3 million Americans are hurt and suffer from whiplash annually. Most of those injuries come from auto accidents, but there are other ways to endure a whiplash injury.
The symptoms of whiplash may include neck pain, tenderness and stiffness, headache, dizziness, nausea, shoulder or arm pain, paresthesias (numbness/tingling), blurred vision, and in rare instances difficulty swallowing. Soon after it happens at the acute phase the chiropractor will focus on reducing neck inflammation utilizing various therapy modalities (eg, ultrasound).
They might also use gentle stretching and manual therapy techniques (eg, muscle energy therapy, a type of stretching). A chiropractor may also recommend you apply an ice pack in your neck and/or light neck support to use for a short time period. As your neck gets less inflamed and the pain diminishes, your chiropractor will execute spinal manipulation or other techniques to restore normal movement to your neck’s spinal joints.
When the aberrant sequela to victims in car crashes has been investigated, providers often overlook and concurrently underestimate the tissue pathology and resultant biomechanical failures of spinal ligamentous damages commonly known as �strain � sprain.� In addition, the courts have been �blinded� by rhetoric in allowing this pathology to be deemed transient. There is an ever growing body of scientific literature that verifies strain – sprain as permanent pathology, which is the standard being taught in today�s medical and chiropractic academia.
In addition, strain � sprain as sequela to whiplash, renders a 25% whole person impairment based upon the American Medical Association�s Guide to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment fifth and sixth editions.
Whiplash Associated Disorder Sequela Injuries
Juamard, Welch and Winkelstein (2011) reported:
��Rear end accelerations have been used to study the response of a variety of soft tissues in the cervical spine, including the facet capsular ligament. For simulations of whiplash exposures, the strains in the capsular ligament were found to be two � five times greater than those sustained during physiological motions of the cervical spine. In a similar but separate study, the facet joints of the cervical spine�s that were previously exposed to a whiplash injury ridden exercise under low � level tension and found to undergo elongations nearly 3 times greater than on exposed ligaments for the same tensile loads. Those capsular ligaments were also found to exhibit greater laxity after the purported injury. Since increased laxity may be linked to a reduction in the joints ability to stabilize the motion segment during sagittal motion, this finding suggests that whiplash exposure may alter the structure of the individual�s tissues of the facet, such as the capsular ligament, and/or the mechanotransduction processes that could maintain and repair the ligamentous structure. Accordingly, such an injury exposure could initiate a variety of signaling cascades that prevent a full recovery of the mechanical properties of the tissues of the facet joint.� (Pg 15)
Simply put, if we focus on the last sentence above, this �prevents a full recovery of the mechanical properties of the tissues of the facet joint,� which is referencing the ligaments of the spine that make up the tissues of the facet joint. In lay terms; it means that once injured, a joint is permanently damaged and it is demonstrable on x-rays with an extension and flexion view that does not have to show a full dislocation. Therein lies the core of the issue. Most radiologists are not trained in the latest literature on biomechanical tissue failures and therefore underreport the pathology.
Last month I attended a presentation by Michael Modic MD, Neuroradiology, a nationally renowned educator in neuroradiology who focuses on spondylolisthesis (vertebral segmental abnormal movements) and I asked a simple question �why don�t radiologist report more on abnormal positioning due to biomechanical failure as a result of ligament pathology� and his answer was �because their training focuses more on disease pathology.� Although I agree that is critical, so are biomechanical failures that lead to chronic degeneration, which is epidemic in our society. Simply look at the posture of our elderly for verification and much of that started with a simple �fender bender� years ago where the strain-sprain was either undiagnosed or deemed transient and not treated.
Ligament Pathology Diagnosis and Prognosis
The above scenario is why the American Medical Association values ligament pathology at 25% whole body impairment. There is also a growing body of doctors who are trained and credentialed in Spinal Biomechanical Engineering that understand how to create a diagnosis and prognosis, along with treatment plans around ligament pathology and fully understand the long-term effects of damaged facet joint tissues. These doctors are currently educating, based upon the current scientific literature their respective radiology communities to be able to diagnose and document the full extent of the injuries sustained.
We must also recognize that there is a significant amount of evidence in the scientific literature that verifies ligamentous damage as permanent and refutes the rhetorical claim of �transient.� In the end, it must be the facts of human physiology verified by science that sets the standards of healthcare and not deceptive rhetoric at any level.
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:
Cocchiarella L., Anderson G., (2001) Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, 5th Edition, Chicago IL, AMA Press
Juamard N., Welch W., Winkelstein B. (July 2011) Spinal Facet Joint Biomechanics and Mechanotransduction in Normal, Injury and Degenerative Conditions, Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, 133, 1-31
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.
According to the harshness of your whiplash symptoms, your doctor may prescribe drugs and/or spinal shots to manage the pain. To stress this point: they won’t help heal the injury, although the medications will help relieve your pain. Instead, medicines and/or spinal injections lessen your pain so which you can work on curing the soft tissue injuries (through physical therapy, for example).
Again depending on the seriousness of your pain, you could begin with over-the-counter medicines. If those don’t work to relieve your pain, the physician may prescribe stronger drugs. The doctor may imply shots if prescription drugs don’t work. The progression of treatment depends upon your individual symptoms and pain level.
Over-the-Counter Medications for Neck Injuries
Acetaminophen: Tylenol is a good example of an acetaminophen, a form of medicine that has turned out to be a great pain reliever. Most people refer as painkillers to acetaminophen medicines, although your doctor may call this an analgesic. They don’t help reduce inflammation, though. Acetaminophen works by essentially blocking your brain’s awareness of pain, and it is good for those pain flare-ups that will come with DDD.
Over the counter NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs): These will reduce swelling (or inflammation) while relieving your pain. In whiplash, you could have inflammation from your soft tissue injury. If an over the counter NSAID is a choice that’s best for you personally, you have lots to select from. You can use ibuprofen (Advil), aspirin, or Aleve.
By taking an NSAID, you are really building up an anti inflammatory effect in the body, so that it’s essential to choose it for awhile. Which is, NSAIDs won’t be as effective if you take them only when you have pain. Before you notice an important impact on your pain, because they work to limit inflammation and build up in your body, you might have to take NSAIDs for several weeks.
Prescription Drugs for Neck Injuries
If over-the-counter drugs don’t deal with your pain enough, the doctor may prescribe something more powerful. The precise sort of drugs depends upon your symptoms, but the doctor may have you attempt:
Muscle Relaxants: You will need a muscle relaxant, which ought to help stop the spasms if you have muscle spasms brought on by the whiplash injury. Muscle relaxants may also enable you to sleep. Valium is an example of a muscle relaxant.
Opioids (Narcotics): In the most extraordinary cases, and just under careful supervision, you physician might prescribe an opioid, such as for instance codeine or morphine. Vicodin and Percocet are instances of narcotics.
Prescription NSAIDs: NSAIDs that are stronger can be taken by you than the over-the-counter variety, in case your physician believes this is best for your pain. For instance, she or he may recommend a COX-2 Inhibitor (Celebrex is an example). That is a kind of NSAID, but it will not cause gastrointestinal side effects as other prescription NSAIDs can.
Injections and Shots for Whiplash Associated Disorders
Shots for whiplash are most powerful when coupled with exercise plan or a physical therapy which assists you to work on strengthening the neck muscles. The shot should give pain relief to you so that you could turn your focus on curing the specific injury. Several kinds of injections useful for whiplash are:
Epidural Steroid Injection: This is only one of the very common injections. An epidural steroid injection (ESI) targets the epidural space, which will be the space enclosing the membrane that covers the spine and nerve roots. Nerves go through the epidural space and after that branch out to different parts of your own body, for example your arms. If your nerve root has become compressed (pinched) in the epidural space because of a whiplash injury, you could have pain that goes down your neck and perhaps into your arms (a symptom called radiculopathy).
An epidural steroid injection sends steroids�which are very powerful anti-inflammatories� to the nerve root that’s inflamed. This really is a pain management therapy, so that it is far better have a well-trained pain management specialist do the injection. You will likely need 2-3 shots; generally, you should not have more than that because of the potential side effects of the steroids.
Facet Joint Injection: Also called facet blocks, facet joint injections are useful in case pain is being caused by your facet joints. Facet joints in your spine assist you to supply and move stability. You’ll have pain, should they get inflamed, though, because of how your cervical spine affected human body. The joint will be numbed by a facet joint injection and can diminish your pain.
Trigger Point Injection: In extreme cases of whiplash, trigger point shots are a wise decision. (Trigger points are knots of muscle underneath the skin that form when muscles usually do not relax.) The shot has a local painkiller that occasionally features a corticosteroid to decrease the inflammation.
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 .
By Dr. Alex Jimenez
Additional Topics: Neck Pain and Auto Injury
After being involved in an automobile accident, the sheer force of the impact can often cause whiplash, a common type of neck injury resulting from the sudden, back-and-forth motion of the head against the body due to a car wreck, or other incident. Because of this, many of the complex structures found within the neck, including the spine, ligaments and muscles, can be stretched beyond their normal range, causing injury and painful symptoms.
Surgery is rarely required for whiplash treatment. Nevertheless, surgery is appropriate in instances that are severe if you have persistent neck or shoulder pain. If your state has not improved after extensive non-operative treatment, a surgery may be your best option.
Your spine surgeon will recommend the most effective surgical procedure for the harm. Make sure to ask lots of questions about the procedure so that you completely understand the way that it is done, exactly what the result will undoubtedly be, how long the recovery time is, etc. When it comes down to it, surgery is the choice alone: the surgeon can advocate it, but you possess the final say.
The type of operation is dependent upon what parts of your cervical spine happen to be injured.
Herniated or Ruptured Discs in the Neck
Throughout your injury, you may have ruptured or herniated an intervertebral disc, which is found between the vertebrae. This could create persistent arm pain, numbness, or weakness. In this case, disk removal may also be required. The surgeon removes all or a part of the damaged disc in a process called a discectomy.
After the discectomy, your physician may need to stabilize the region. Discectomies typically lead to an unstable spine, meaning that it goes in abnormal ways. That makes you more at risk for neurological harm that is serious. Then when surgeons do a discectomy, the spine often restabilizes.
The surgeon may use, to stabilize the spine:
Artificial Cervical Disc: It is a new� quite exciting and �development in spine surgery. Recently, surgeons have begun planting an artificial cervical disc following the discectomy. They’re using this instead of fusion and spinal instrumentation. The bonus is that a patient to keep normal neck motion after surgery is enabled by an artificial disk. Previously, in the event the patient had two or even more vertebrae fused, neck movement would be considerably reduced. Cervical discs are a fairly new technology; nonetheless, early results are encouraging.
Fusion and Spinal Instrumentation: This sort of back stabilization operation has been has been common for a long time. It can be performed alone or at the same time as a decompression operation. In spine stabilization, the surgeon creates an environment where the bones in your back will fuse together over time (generally over several months or longer). The surgeon uses a bone graft (generally using bone from a donor) or a biological substance (that’ll stimulate bone growth). Your surgeon may use spinal instrumentation�wires, cables, screws, rods, and plates�to increase stability and help fuse the bones. The fusion will cease motion involving the vertebrae, providing long term stability.
Spinal Stenosis in the Neck
Operation can also be needed in the event the injury causes a narrowing of the spinal canal in your neck. In this instance, a cervical corpectomy might be performed to remove a portion of the intervertebral disc and also the vertebra to reduce the pressure on nerves and the spinal cord. Your surgeon may do a laminectomy or a laminoplasty. The lamina, the bony plate that’s in the back of each vertebra is focused on by the two of those surgeries. It safeguards your spinal cord and spinal canal. The lamina may be pressing on your spinal cord, so the surgeon may make more room for the cord by removing section or all of the lamina�that’s a laminectomy.
The surgeon will re shape the lamina to form more room for your spinal cord. Plasty means “to shape.”
A cervical foraminotomy may be performed, if there is a narrowing of the space where the nerve exits the spinal canal. In this process, the foramen (the area where the nerve roots leave the spinal canal) is removed to increase the size of the nerve pathway. A A pathway that is larger causes it to be not as likely the nerve will soon be pinched or compressed.
Surgical Complications on the Neck
As with absolutely any operation, there are dangers involved with cervical spine surgery to treat whiplash symptoms. Your doctor will discuss potential risks along with you before asking you to sign a surgical consent form. Potential complications include, but aren’t limited to:
Injury to nerves, your spinal cord, esophagus, carotid artery or vocal cords
non-healing of the bony fusion (pseudoarthrosis)
failure to improve
instrumentation breakage/failure
Disease and/or bone graft site pain
pain and swelling in your leg veins (phlebitis)
blood clots in your lung
urinary problems
Really rare complications: paralysis and possibly death
Complications could cause more surgery, so again �make sure you completely understand the risks along with your operation before proceeding. The decision for surgery is yours and yours alone.
Recovering from Whiplash Surgery
Following your surgery, you’re not going to be immediately better. You will most likely be out of bed within 24 hours, and you’ll be on pain medications for 2 to 4 weeks. Subsequent to the surgery, you’ll receive instructions on how to attentively sit, rise, and stand. It is crucial that you give your body time to recover, so your physician will most likely advise that you confine your actions: in general, don’t do anything that moves your neck. While you recover, you ought to avoid heavy lifting, twisting, or contact sports.
After surgery, be watchful. Report any problems�such as increased pain, temperature, or infection�to your physician without delay.
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 .
By Dr. Alex Jimenez
Additional Topics: Neck Pain and Auto Injury
After being involved in an automobile accident, the sheer force of the impact can often cause whiplash, a common type of neck injury resulting from the sudden, back-and-forth motion of the head against the body due to a car wreck, or other incident. Because of this, many of the complex structures found within the neck, including the spine, ligaments and muscles, can be stretched beyond their normal range, causing injury and painful symptoms.
Whiplash is an injury to the neck muscles from rapid forward and backward movement of the neck caused by a trauma (eg, an automobile accident). It can cause acute (short term) neck pain together with restricted movement in your neck.
Diagnosing a Whiplash Injury
Your spine is evaluated by the chiropractor as a whole� even if you proceed to the chiropractor complaining of neck pain following an injury. She or he will examine the complete spine because other areas of the spine could be affected (not only your neck).
The chiropractor identifies any areas of intervertebral disc injury, restricted joint movement, muscle spasm, and ligament injury. She or he may use a technique called movement and static palpation�diagnostic techniques that involve contact. Your chiropractor may also feel for tenderness, tightness, and just how well your spinal joints move.
She or he will even examine the way you walk, and take note of your posture and spinal alignment. These details will assist your back works, helping with the diagnosis process and the chiropractor understand the body’s mechanisms.
Along with the chiropractor�s assessment of your spine, he/she may order an x-ray or an MRI of your spine to evaluate any degenerative changes that may have existed before your whiplash injury. The diagnostic images and results of your neurological and physical assessment are compared to develop the best treatment plan.
Stages of Whiplash Treatment
Shortly after whiplash occurs�in the acute phase�the chiropractor will work on reducing neck inflammation using various therapy modalities (eg, ultrasound). He/she might also use gentle stretching and manual treatment techniques (eg, muscle energy therapy, a kind of extending).
The chiropractor may also recommend you apply an ice pack on your neck and/or a light neck support to make use of for a short span of time. The pain falls and also as your neck becomes inflamed, your chiropractor will perform gentle spinal manipulation or other methods to restore normal movement to the your neck’s spinal joints.
Chiropractic Care for Whiplash
Your treatment plan rides on the severity of your whiplash injury. The chiropractic technique that is most common is spinal manipulation. Some spinal manipulation techniques normally used are:
Flexion-distraction technique: This hands-on technique is a mild, non-thrusting type of spinal manipulation to help treat herniated discs with or without. Your whiplash injury may have aggravated a bulging or herniated disc. The chiropractor runs on the slow pumping action on the disk in place of direct force to the back.
Instrument-assisted manipulation: This technique is another non-throwing technique chiropractors often use. Using a specialized handheld instrument, force is applied by the chiropractor without thrusting into the backbone. This type of exploitation is useful for older patients that have a degenerative joint syndrome.
Unique spinal manipulation: The chiropractor identifies spinal joints which can be restricted or show unusual movement (called subluxations). Applying this technique, he or she will help restore movement to the joint using a gentle technique that is thrusting. This thrusting that is mild stretches soft tissue and stimulates the nervous system to restore normal movement to the spinal column.
In addition to spinal manipulation, the chiropractor could also use manual treatment to treat injured soft tissues (eg, ligaments and muscles). Some instances of manual therapies your chiropractor may use are:
Instrument-assisted soft tissue therapy: Your chiropractor may use the Graston technique, which is an instrument-assisted technique used to treat soft tissues that are injured. She or he will perform gentle continued blows utilizing the instrument over the injured area.
Manual joint stretching and resistance techniques: A good example of a manual therapy that is joint is muscle energy therapy.
Therapeutic massage: The chiropractor may perform remedial massage to relieve muscle tension.
Trigger point therapy: Your chiropractor will identify particular hypertonic (tight), agonizing points of a muscle by getting direct pressure (using her or his fingers) on these specific points to relieve muscle tension.
Your chiropractor may also use other treatments to reduce neck inflammation caused by whiplash. Examples of other treatments your chiropractor may use are:
Interferential electrical stimulation: This technique uses a low frequency electric current to simply help stimulate muscles, which may finally reduce inflammation.
Ultrasound: By raising blood circulation, ultrasound can help decrease muscle spasms, stiffness, and pain in your neck. Ultrasound does this by sending sound waves deep into muscle tissues. This creates a mild heat that increases circulation.
Treating Whiplash with Chiropractic Care
Chiropractors look at the full individual�not just the distressing difficulty. They view neck pain as unique to every patient, so they really don�t just focus on your neck pain. They highlight prevention as the key to long term health. In addition to these treatments, your chiropractor might also prescribe healing exercises to greatly help restore normal motion in your spine and reduce whiplash symptoms.
Using these chiropractic techniques, a chiropractor will help you increase your daily activities. She or he will work challenging to address any mechanical (how the back moves) or neurological (nerve-related) causes of your whiplash.
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 .
By Dr. Alex Jimenez
Additional Topics: Neck Pain and Auto Injury
After being involved in an automobile accident, the sheer force of the impact can often cause whiplash, a common type of neck injury resulting from the sudden, back-and-forth motion of the head against the body due to a car wreck, or other incident. Because of this, many of the complex structures found within the neck, including the spine, ligaments and muscles, can be stretched beyond their normal range, causing injury and painful symptoms.
Physical therapy is a highly effective treatment option for whiplash, especially when coupled with other treatments and medicines, such as bracing. With whiplash, the soft tissues in your neck become damaged or injured, but a physical therapist can help restore the individual’s original movement and proper function of those tissues.
Physical therapy can include both passive and active treatments. Passive treatments help unwind your body as well as you. As you don’t have to actively participate, they are called passive. Most likely, you’re experiencing severe pain because of whiplash, which means you will probably start as your body heals with passive treatments and/or adapts to the pain. But the aim of physical therapy would be to get into active treatments. All these are in order for your spine has better support healing exercises that reinforce your body.
Passive Treatments for Whiplash
Deep Tissue Massage: Muscle tension that may grow as a consequence of whiplash is targeted by this technique. The therapist uses direct pressure and friction to try and release the tension in your soft tissues (ligaments, tendons, muscles). This would help them heal quicker.
Hot and Cold Therapies: Through the use of heat, the physical therapist seeks to get more blood to the target area because more oxygen is brought by an increased blood circulation and nutrients to that particular place. Blood can also be needed to remove waste byproducts created by muscle spasms, plus additionally, it helps curing.
Circulation slows, helping lessen pain, muscle spasms, and inflammation. Your physical therapist will switch between hot and cold therapies.
(When you first injure yourself�either in a car crash or in a different injury-inducing event�you can make use of this hot and cold treatment technique at home. Use ice first to bring the inflammation down, and after the first 24 to 48 hours, you can change between ice and heat. The heat can help relax tense muscles, and it will improve circulation to the region that is injured. Increased circulation promotes faster healing. As a reminder, never place ice or heat directly on your own skin�wrap it in a towel, as an example.)
Ultrasound: By raising blood circulation, an ultrasound helps reduce muscle spasms, cramping, swelling, stiffness, and pain. It will this by developing a gentle heat that improves circulation, sending sound waves into your muscle tissues and healing.
Active Treatments for Whiplash
In the active portion of physical therapy, your therapist will teach you various exercises to work on your own strength and range of movement (how easily your joints move). Your physical therapy program is individualized, taking into account your wellbeing and history. Your exercises may not be acceptable for another individual with whiplash and neck pain.
If necessary, you’ll learn how to correct your posture and integrate ergonomic principles into your daily actions. This pose work must help you since youwill have the ability to prevent other types of neck pain that grow from daily living, even once you recover from whiplash.
Overall, the purpose of physical therapy for whiplash patients will be to help increase blood circulation, reduce muscle spasms, and encourage healing of the neck tissues.
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 .
By Dr. Alex Jimenez
Additional Topics: Neck Pain and Auto Injury
After being involved in an automobile accident, the sheer force of the impact can often cause whiplash, a common type of neck injury resulting from the sudden, back-and-forth motion of the head against the body due to a car wreck, or other incident. Because of this, many of the complex structures found within the neck, including the spine, ligaments and muscles, can be stretched beyond their normal range, causing injury and painful symptoms.
Whiplash, although not technically a medical term, can manifest painful symptoms, usually as a result of neck damage or injury. We call it whiplash because, in an injury, your neck actually can whip back and forth�first backward (hyperextension) and then forward (hyperflexion). Doctors call whiplash a neck sprain or strain. Whiplash is an injury to the soft tissues of upper back and your neck occurring when ligaments and your muscles get overstretched from the force of a collision.
What are the Causes of Whiplash?
The most common reason for whiplash is car accidents. Nevertheless, you can even get whiplash from a fall or a sports injury. It is also possible to get whiplash when you’re punched or shaken.
Non-Surgical Treatment for Whiplash
Time is among the greatest non surgical treatment choices for whiplash. Most cases of whiplash heal by themselves to a couple months in several weeks. Your physician may also suggest: wearing a cervical collar, cervical traction, chiropractic adjustment, physical therapy, and pain medicine, as you heal.
Is Surgery Necessary for Whiplash
Patients with whiplash very, very rarely need surgery. If, nevertheless, you’ve been through wide-ranging non-surgical treatments and also you still have pain, you might consider operation. There are several types of operation used for whiplash
Corpectomy: Sometimes whiplash induces the spinal canal to narrow because of how a soft tissues (muscles, ligaments, and tendons) and bones moved during the initial injury. By removing part of the vertebra and the intervertebral disc using a corpectomy, the surgeon is striving to make more room.
Discectomy: The surgeon will remove section of the intervertebral disc, which may be pressing on your own spinal cord or alternative nerves and causing pain. Sometimes, the surgeon will have to execute a spinal fusion at exactly the same time as the discectomy. The fusion plans to permanently stabilize that region of your back, but not everyone who has a discectomy will desire a fusion.
Foraminotomy: As with a corpectomy, a surgeon uses a foraminotomy to make more room for your own nerves that’ll have gotten compressed and pinched throughout the harm. In this process, the foramina (the area where the nerve roots leave the spinal canal) is removed to boost the size of the nerve pathway.
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 .
By Dr. Alex Jimenez
Additional Topics: Neck Pain and Auto Injury
After being involved in an automobile accident, the sheer force of the impact can often cause whiplash, a common type of neck injury resulting from the sudden, back-and-forth motion of the head against the body due to a car wreck, or other incident. Because of this, many of the complex structures found within the neck, including the spine, ligaments and muscles, can be stretched beyond their normal range, causing injury and painful symptoms.
When you get whiplash, you’ll understand what caused it. But you may not sense the indications of it until later. Symptoms can appear as soon following your auto accident or other injury as two hours, but you may experience symptoms that begin slightly and gradually become worse. Symptoms can sometimes grow days, weeks, or even months after the first injury.
The primary symptom of whiplash is neck or upper back pain. It’s also possible to experience other symptoms, like:
Shoulder and arm pain
Tenderness or stiffness
Numbness and/or tingling
Headaches
Dizziness
Nausea
Blurry vision
Most just described, whiplash is caused by a movement or force that makes your neck move beyond its normal range of motion. Cervical spine, or your neck, has an incredible range of movement. It is the moveable part of your spine, but still, the neck to go beyond its normal range can be caused by whiplash.
What Causes Whiplash Associated Diseases?
There is one major cause of whiplash that most everyone thinks of instantly: car accidents. Even rates as low as 15 miles per hour can create enough energy to cause whiplash�whether or not you’re wearing a seatbelt. (Nevertheless, if you’re not properly held along with your seatbelt, your head may strike the steering wheel or windshield, causing a concussion in addition to whiplash. You should definitely always wear your seatbelt.)
A 8 miles per hour car crash generates two times the force of gravity (or a 2-G) deceleration of the car, and a 5-G deceleration of the head. This unnatural and forceful movement impacts the muscles and ligaments in the neck, stretching and possibly ripping them. The discs involving the vertebrae can bulge, tear, or rupture, and vertebrae can be forced from their normal location, lowering your range of movement. The spinal cord and nerve roots could get extended, irritated, and “choked.”
Athletic actions, falls, roller coasters can also causes whiplash, or from shaken or being punched.
Aging also makes us more susceptible to whiplash. People who have neck issues like arthritis, and mature individuals, may experience whiplash that is more serious than the usual younger man. As people get older, their movement is more limited, their muscles lose flexibility and strength, and their disks and ligaments aren’t elastic (stretchy). Thus, when their neck whips back and forth, it’s more potential for damage.
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 .
By Dr. Alex Jimenez
Additional Topics: Neck Pain and Auto Injury
After being involved in an automobile accident, the sheer force of the impact can often cause whiplash, a common type of neck injury resulting from the sudden, back-and-forth motion of the head against the body due to a car wreck, or other incident. Because of this, many of the complex structures found within the neck, including the spine, ligaments and muscles, can be stretched beyond their normal range, causing injury and painful symptoms.
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