Rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, is a chronic health issue which affects approximately 1 percent of the population in the United States. RA is an autoimmune disorder that causes the inflammation and degeneration of the synovial tissue, specific cells and tissue which form the lining of the joints within the human body. Rheumatoid arthritis may and generally does affect every joint in the body, especially as people get older. RA commonly develops in the joints of the hands and feet, severely restricting an individual’s ability to move, however, those with significant disease in the spine are at risk of damage like paraplegia. Rheumatoid arthritis of the spine is frequent in three areas, causing different clinical problems.
The first is basilar invagination, also referred to as cranial settling or superior migration of the odontoid, a health issue where degeneration from rheumatoid arthritis at the base of the skull causes the it to “settle” into the spinal column, causing the compression or impingement of the spinal cord between the skull and the 1st cervical nerves. The second health issue, and also the most frequent, is atlanto-axial instability. A synovitis and erosion of the ligaments and joints connecting the 1st (atlas) and the 2nd (axis) cervical vertebrae causes instability of the joint, which may ultimately result in dislocation and spinal cord compression. In addition, a pannus, or localized mass/swelling of rheumatoid synovial tissue, can also form in this region, causing further spinal cord compression. The third health issues is a subaxial subluxation which causes the degeneration of the cervical vertebrae (C3-C7) and often results in other problems like spinal stenosis.
Imaging studies are crucial to properly diagnose patients with rheumatoid arthritis of the cervical spine. X-rays will demonstrate the alignment of the spine, and if there is obvious cranial settling or instability. It can also be difficult to demonstrate the anatomy at the bottom of the skull, therefore, computed tomography scanning, or CT scan, with an injection of dye within the thecal sac is arranged. Magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, is beneficial to assess the severity of nerve compression or spinal cord injury, and allows visualization of structures, including the nerves, muscles, and soft tissues. Flexion/extension x-rays of the cervical spine are usually obtained to evaluate for signs of ligamentous instability. These imaging studies entails a plain lateral x-ray being taken with the patient bending forward and the other lateral x-ray being taken with the individual extending the neck backwards.�The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic, spinal injuries, and conditions. To discuss the subject matter, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at�915-850-0900�.
Curated by Dr. Alex Jimenez
Additional Topics: Neck Pain and Auto Injury
Whiplash is one of the most common causes of neck pain after an automobile accident. A whiplash-associated disorder occurs when a person’s head and neck moves abruptly back-and-forth, in any direction, due to the force of an impact. Although whiplash most commonly occurs following a rear-end car crash, it can also result from sports injuries. During an auto accident, the sudden motion of the human body can cause the muscles, ligaments, and other soft tissues of the neck to extend beyond their natural range of motion, causing damage or injury to the complex structures surrounding the cervical spine. While whiplash-associated disorders are considered to be relatively mild health issues, these can cause long-term pain and discomfort if left untreated. Diagnosis is essential.
Definitely, the most frequent injury caused by automobile accidents is whiplash, amounting up to 80 percent of car crash injuries.
Whiplash is a cervical spine, or neck, injury that is caused when the head is jolted either backwards or forward by acceleration or deceleration. The acceleration or deceleration in automobile accidents is typically abrupt, which will cause the head to jerk unexpectedly and be stretched beyond its normal range of motion, straining the neck’s muscles and ligaments. Whiplash can happen at any speed �even when vehicles are traveling as slowly 25 mph.
Severe cases of whiplash can even cause fractures to the neck vertebrae. These accidents might need time off from work and physical activity in order to recover and are painful although a complete recovery is likely.
Level of Damage from Whiplash
Most commonly, whiplash is the result of a rear-end automobile collision, rather than a side impact or head-on collision, though that is possible. In the vehicle, kinetic energy will keep the bodies moving forward in the event of a car accident. Due to restraints like seat belts, the body will be stopped while the head will continue to be thrown backward. This unnatural movement of the neck leads to hypertension injuries. Depending on the seriousness of the impact and how fast the cars were traveling at the time of the incident, the extent of the whiplash will differ.
Traumatic brain injuries will be caused by the whiplash. A healthcare professional will often perform both a physical examination and an X-ray or CT scan to examine the possibility of whiplash in those who were involved in an auto collision. Doctors monitor and might examine brain function to be able to ascertain whether there was damage or injury to the structures surrounding the neck. With acceleration and deceleration injuries, the brain may swell and cause bruising and bleeding. This can be potentially life-threatening.
Cervical acceleration or deceleration injuries result in trauma to the deep anterior neck muscles. When a muscle is torn, it is strained. When a ligament is sprained, it is stretched or torn. As the ligaments in the neck are responsible for maintaining a curve of their neck this can be painful. Neck injuries of this sort will involve micro-tears, but hypertension will result in fractures and larger tears. Many vehicle crash victims after healing, will experience what’s known as myospasm. This symptom involves the sudden contraction of the neck muscles. These spasms can be painful.
Front impact crashes have a greater risk of death and serious injury. Whiplash resulting from a collision can cause injury to the cervical spine and hyperextension. Severe strain of this nature can leave a victim suffering from tension headaches, migraines, and even vision problems for some time even after the neck has healed. The extent of the injuries may depend on which type of vehicle the person traveled in. The size of the vehicles can have a tremendous effect on both severity and the nature of the injuries. Airbags are required in vehicles for safety purposes, but they can actually cause injuries because of their impact when deployed.
If you or a loved one were involved in an auto accident, then you may be suffering from the painful side effects of whiplash and cervical spine injuries. The driver who hit on you may have been cited with a violation, but you might be able to take actions and receive the proper healthcare you deserve.
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: Automobile Accident Injuries
Whiplash, among other automobile accident injuries, are frequently reported by victims of an auto collision, regardless of the severity and grade of the accident. The sheer force of an impact can cause damage or injury to the cervical spine, as well as to the rest of the spine. Whiplash is generally the result of an abrupt, back-and-forth jolt of the head and neck in any direction. Fortunately, a variety of treatments are available to treat automobile accident injuries.
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.
Say “whiplash” and most of us immediately think about car accident. You are rear ended as you sit at a stop sign, and your head flies forwards, then backwards. It certainly does whip back and forth, so even though “whiplash” isn’t technically a medical term, it is a quite precise description of what occurs�and what can cause so much pain.
Doctors call whiplash a neck sprain or strain. Other technical medical terms related to whiplash are hyperflexion and hyperextension. When your neck whips back hyperextension is; hyperflexion is when it goes forwards.
What is Whiplash?
Every year, almost 2 million Americans are injured and suffer from whiplash. Plenty of those injuries do come from automobile accidents, but you will find different methods for getting whiplash. You can get whiplash from:
A sports injury
A fall
Being hit or shaken
Whiplash can take days, weeks, and even months to develop. You may think that you simply are all right after having fall, a car accident, or alternative first injury. Nevertheless, slowly, the typical symptoms (neck pain and stiffness, tightness in the shoulders, etc�you will find out more about the symptoms in this article) may grow.
Thus�even should you not have pain immediately following a neck injury, you should make an appointment to see your doctor. Whiplash may have long term effects on your spinal health, and in the long term, it could be associated with other spinal conditions like osteoarthritis (bone and joint pain) and premature disk degeneration (faster aging of the back).
Your neck is one of your most vulnerable places, when your body is involved in trauma. Whiplash, the hard and fast forward-backward motion of the neck, can cause pain that could last well after other injuries have healed. It helps you to be aware of the anatomy included to understand your neck is so sore.
Anatomy of the Cervical Spine
As the physician attempts to figure out just which portions of the spinal column have been affected, whiplash could be a complex investigation. And there are a lot of complex parts to your own cervical back�the specialized name for the neck. The cervical spine begins in the base of the skull. It contains seven small vertebrae (bones), which doctors tag C1 to C7 (the ‘C’ means cervical). The numbers 1 to 7 suggest the amount of the vertebrae. C1 is closest to the skull, while C7 is closest to the torso.
In between each vertebra are rough fibrous shock-absorbing pads called the intervertebral discs. Each disc is composed of a tire-like a gel and outer band -like interior substance. The outer band is called the annulus fibrosus; the interior part is known as the nucleus pulposus.
In addition to bones and disks, your cervical spine additionally contains the upper region of the spinal cord, eight nerve roots, an elaborate system of veins and arteries, 32 muscles for strength, and numerous ligaments. For this kind of tiny area, there is certainly a whole lot to your own neck. Meaning that there are a lot of parts that can be injured when you have whiplash.
Strength, Flexibiity and Mobility of the Neck
Remarkably, the cervical spine supports the entire weight of your head, which will be generally about 8 pounds� yet no other area of the spinal column has such freedom of movement. The cervical spine can move 180� of side to side movement: 90� of forward motion, 90� of backward movement, your face in virtually every direction, and virtually 120� of tilt to either shoulder.
Unfortunately, this flexibility makes the neck very prone to injury and pain, including whiplash. Those 15 pounds are drastically chucked frontwards afterward back� that’s one important reason to wear seatbelts correctly and use airbags whenever feasible.
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 a common injury, affecting about 2 million individuals in the United States annually. Ordinarily a consequence of an automobile accident, whiplash may also result from falling, participating in sports, or from other causes, including being shaken or hit.
Whiplash is the common term for a neck sprain or strain resulting from hyperextension (see picture below) and hyperflexion (see image below). It often doesn’t cause symptoms that are immediate: in fact, it could grow over time. Since whiplash may cause long lasting effects on the spinal column, it is essential to determine your doctor for those who have been injured, even in the event you don�t have pain immediately later.
The cervical spine (neck) is a complex structure composed of vertebrae (spinal bones), intervertebral discs (act as shock absorbers), muscles, ligaments, and nerves. The neck is is flexible and may transfer it different ways (nod, rotate) while supporting the entire weight of the head. However, that flexibility can make the neck exposed to injury. Within a whiplash event, your neck goes quickly and powerfully forward and backward. Pain can continue even following the injury itself has recovered.
Whiplash can lead to possibly high medical expenses, reduced productivity, and temporary impairment.
Symptoms of Whiplash
The primary complaint of a person who has whiplash is neck and upper back pain. Other symptoms may include:
Tenderness
Stiffness
Pain in the arm and shoulder that may radiate down into the hand(s).
Paresthesias (like numbness or tingling) and weakness that will extend into the hand(s).
Headache
You might even experience dizziness, nausea, ringing in the ears, fatigue, jaw pain, or blurred vision.
Causes of Whiplash
The most common reason for whiplash is an automobile accident when the man�s vehicle (typically stopped) is rear-ended by another car or truck. As a consequence of the impact, the cervical back�s lower vertebrae of the neck are forced into a position that is hyperextended, while the upper vertebrae are bend, resulting in an unusual S shaped curve. This chain of events often damages the soft tissues (ligaments, tendons, muscles) of the neck.
Understanding Whiplash
Your doctor carefully reviews your medical history and performs a physical and neurological examination. Since xrays don�t reveal injuries to soft tissues, a CT (computerized tomography) scan or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) may be performed.
What are the Treatments for Whiplash?
Treatment depends upon degree and the severity of the whiplash, and thought is provided to general health and your age. Initial treatment may include:
Short-term rest (a day or two)
Ice, for two* or the very first day; then alternative heat and ice
Gentle range-of-motion exercises
Anti inflammatory medications (over the counter or prescription)
Muscle relaxants
*When using ice, make sure that the cold source is wrapped in a towel to protect the skin place. Don’t apply ice.
If your pain does not go away within a fair period of time, or when it is serious, your physician may recommend trigger point injections, physical therapy, chiropractic, massage, acupuncture, and/or use of a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) device.
Soft collars, although once widely used for whiplash, are not used so frequently since the muscles can be weakened by immobilizing the neck to get a long time and delay healing.
Operation is seldom warranted by whiplash. If your pain persists even once you have gotten nonsurgical treatment, surgery may be recommended by your healthcare provider, depending on how severe the harm is and what constructions have been injured. It’s important to understand that risks are consistently carried by surgery. Therefore, you need to truly have a comprehensive talk with your doctor.
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 refers to a soft-tissue injury of the cervical spine, or neck, caused by a strong, abrupt, back-and- forth movement of the head, typically caused by an automobile accident, although this type of injury can also be the result of a sports accident or other trauma. Several studies suggest that up to 43% of individuals generally suffer from long-term symptoms following a whiplash�
Being involved in an automobile accident can be a stressful situation for any individual and, for those who suffered an injury or aggravated a previous condition as a result of the collision, taking immediate action becomes a priority.
The majority of auto injuries are not severe and, if there is no clear indication of a bone fracture or other type of serious wound, a visit to the hospital might�
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