Whiplash
The cervical trauma called "Whiplash" is caused by a rapid unprotected movement of the head on the neck. Whiplash movement happens two times faster than the time it takes for the neck muscles to react to protect the head and neck from injury. In any accident, not necessarily to be hit only from behind. An accident where the vehicle is struck from a side impact can cause the head to be shaken violently on the neck. This type of whiplash can be even worse than being hit from behind. While these injuries are commonly associated with motor vehicle accidents, you can suffer a whiplash injury in a sports accident, or a simple slip on the ice, on a loose carpet or a wet floor. Whiplash can happen during work accidents or any other incidents that cause the rapid uncontrolled movement of the head on the neck.
What is a Whiplash?
As in a whip stroke, a whiplash occurs on impact as the head is thrown backwards, then accelerates forward very quickly trying to catch up with the rest of the body, only to be yanked to a stop, and then again thrown rapidly backwards. This whip like action takes place in about 80 to 150 milliseconds, while the reflexes to contract the neck muscles to oppose the movement require 200 milliseconds to defend the spine, which is too slow to protect yourself. When you are driving your car and you're hit from behind, the first part that moves forward is the body, leaving behind the neck and head. Then the body stops and the head keeps moving forward, trying to catch up to the body. Then it actually reaches and passes the body, and again jerks the head to a stop. This sudden rapid undefended hyperextension / hyperflexion movement can create slight or grave damage to the cervical spine and the associated nervous tissues.
What is a Whiplash?
As in a whip stroke, a whiplash occurs on impact as the head is thrown backwards, then accelerates forward very quickly trying to catch up with the rest of the body, only to be yanked to a stop, and then again thrown rapidly backwards. This whip like action takes place in about 80 to 150 milliseconds, while the reflexes to contract the neck muscles to oppose the movement require 200 milliseconds to defend the spine, which is too slow to protect yourself. When you are driving your car and you're hit from behind, the first part that moves forward is the body, leaving behind the neck and head. Then the body stops and the head keeps moving forward, trying to catch up to the body. Then it actually reaches and passes the body, and again jerks the head to a stop. This sudden rapid undefended hyperextension / hyperflexion movement can create slight or grave damage to the cervical spine and the associated nervous tissues.
|
|
Studies have shown that during this violent action, the cervical spine can actually deform from the normal C-shaped lordotic curve to the shape of an S. The average weight of the head is 3 Kg. The head is balanced on the neck and held in place by ligaments, muscles and their tendons. The whiplash, in addition to causing symptoms alters the mechanical equilibrium of the cervical spine. Standard medical procedure is to stop therapy after symptoms have passed. But it can take many months for damaged ligaments to recover. If there is insufficient rehabilitative therapy during the asymptomatic healing phase there is risk of degenerative pathology long term with associated chronic symptoms.
|
How does whiplash harm the body ?
Whiplash can harm each of us in different ways. Depending on the severity of the accident, the effects of whiplash will differ from one individual to another. In some cases, people have initially walked away from an accident without any symptoms not even realizing that they are injured until days, weeks or months later when the hidden lesions finally produce symptoms. One needs to feel symptoms to be aware of their pathology. No symptoms? You believe you have no problems.
The initial lesions can be:
Depending on the type of injury sustained, the healing process varies considerably. The ligaments, for example, have little blood flow so the healing process can vary from 2 to 12 months, compared to a broken bone that can heal the in 6 to 8 weeks. In some cases the ligaments never able to fully heal and recover as they were before the injury. The soft tissues can heal poorly if not treated properly, when injury occurs micro lacerations happen. Collagen fibers should heal the micro lacerations in a parallel way, but if not treated properly, can heal in a transverse way, decreasing flexibility and altering mechanical function, causing chronic nerve irritation and progressive pathology.
After an accident, the prudent thing to do would be to go to the chiropractor to make a complete check for the presence of lesion, even if you feel normal. It's better to be sure everything is truly normal or discover a little problem at it's beginning, which if untreated, leads to additional chronic degenerative pathology.
Chronic lesions can be:
Chronic irritation to the nervous system (dural sac, spinal nerve roots, spinal cord)
Symptoms of whiplash
Whiplash injuries can occur in several ways. In many cases people feel the pain of the injury immediately, in other cases it serves the observation of family members or friends to see the difference in a person, especially when you are dealing with slight brain damage.
Here are some symptoms:
Low impact whiplash
One of the amazing things of whiplash injury is how often they occur during accidents with low impact. People often think "I have not been hit so hard, how is it possible to have whiplash?" Remember a whiplash injury can take place in half the time that it takes for the neck muscles to activate to try to protect the neck.
Whiplash can harm each of us in different ways. Depending on the severity of the accident, the effects of whiplash will differ from one individual to another. In some cases, people have initially walked away from an accident without any symptoms not even realizing that they are injured until days, weeks or months later when the hidden lesions finally produce symptoms. One needs to feel symptoms to be aware of their pathology. No symptoms? You believe you have no problems.
The initial lesions can be:
- Mild head injury
- Concussion
- Cranio-cervical syndrome develops a few years after the original trauma.
- Loss of neurophysiological equilibrium of the spine
- Irritation to the nervous system (dural sac, spinal nerve roots, spinal cord)
- Articular soft tissue damage (micro or macro lesion)
- Disc injuries (micro or macro lesion)
- Neuromuscular injury (trigger points)
- Injured tendons (micro or macro lesion)
- Stretched ligaments
Depending on the type of injury sustained, the healing process varies considerably. The ligaments, for example, have little blood flow so the healing process can vary from 2 to 12 months, compared to a broken bone that can heal the in 6 to 8 weeks. In some cases the ligaments never able to fully heal and recover as they were before the injury. The soft tissues can heal poorly if not treated properly, when injury occurs micro lacerations happen. Collagen fibers should heal the micro lacerations in a parallel way, but if not treated properly, can heal in a transverse way, decreasing flexibility and altering mechanical function, causing chronic nerve irritation and progressive pathology.
After an accident, the prudent thing to do would be to go to the chiropractor to make a complete check for the presence of lesion, even if you feel normal. It's better to be sure everything is truly normal or discover a little problem at it's beginning, which if untreated, leads to additional chronic degenerative pathology.
Chronic lesions can be:
Chronic irritation to the nervous system (dural sac, spinal nerve roots, spinal cord)
- Accumulation of scar tissue
- Bone spurs
- Degenerative osteoarthritis
- Degenerative disc disease
- Herniated disc
Symptoms of whiplash
Whiplash injuries can occur in several ways. In many cases people feel the pain of the injury immediately, in other cases it serves the observation of family members or friends to see the difference in a person, especially when you are dealing with slight brain damage.
Here are some symptoms:
- Anxiety
- Blurred vision
- Depression
- Difficulty concentrating
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Migraine
- Nausea
- Neck pain and stiffness
- Pain between the shoulder blades
- Difficulty swallowing or difficulty swallowing
- Ringing in the ears
- Pain in the upper back and/or stiffness because many muscles that connect the neck are attached to the upper back.
- Pain or numbness down the arms and fingers (neuropathy). Caused by trauma to the dural sac, the spinal cord or nerve roots where they exit from the cervical spine to become the nerves of the arms.
Low impact whiplash
One of the amazing things of whiplash injury is how often they occur during accidents with low impact. People often think "I have not been hit so hard, how is it possible to have whiplash?" Remember a whiplash injury can take place in half the time that it takes for the neck muscles to activate to try to protect the neck.
To better understand the pathology of this trauma click here.