Whiplash Injury
Whiplash is most commonly associated with rear-end car collisions in which the heads of those in the front car are suddenly snapped back and forth by the impact. It is more accurately called cervical acceleration/deceleration (CAD) trauma or syndrome, which describes the rapid movements that can injure the vertebrae of the neck and the muscles and ligaments that support them.
Anyone can be subjected to whiplash, even in a low-force car crash at speeds as low as 5 mph. But injuries associated with whiplash can also result from other mishaps in which the head is pushed or jerked beyond its normal range of motion. Whiplash most commonly causes serious and lingering neck pain, but there may also be back pain, headaches and dizziness. Inasmuch as bruising of the brain can sometimes occur in auto accidents and similarly severe causes of whiplash, some victims have experienced blurred vision, ringing in the ears, nausea and numbness.
Chiropractic treatment can help in relieving the neck pain and other debilitating effects of whiplash because it restores movement lost after the accident, overcome muscle weakness and enhance muscle tone, help speed up recovery, and diminish chronic symptoms that can persist or recur over many years.
Repeated and effective chiropractic adjustments have proved successful for many thousands of patients. Chiropractic can, in many cases, significantly reduce patients' distress and allow them to return to their normal activities.
1. With the test subject comfortably seated and their eyes closed, have them tilt their head up and down several times, coming to a neutral resting position.
2. With their eyes still closed and without moving their shoulders, have them rotate their head fully to the left and hold for a few seconds.
3. With their eyes still closed and without moving their shoulders, have them rotate their head fully to the right and hold for a few seconds.
Yes |
No |
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| Could they turn | ||
| further in one | ||
| direction than | ||
| the other? | [ ] | [ ] |
| Was there pain | ||
| associated with | ||
| turning in either | ||
| direction? | [ ] | [ ] |
| Did the subject | ||
| hear popping or | ||
| grinding sounds? | [ ] | [ ] |
"Yes" responses are significant and should prompt a more thorough examination in our office. |
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• Foreman, SM, Croft AC. Whiplash injuries: The cervical acceleration/deceleration syndrome, 2nd ed., Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins, 1995.
• Borchgrevink GE, Kaasa A, McDonagh D, et al. Acute treatment of whiplash neck sprain injuries: A randomized trial of treatment during the first 14 days after a car accident. Spine, 1998; vol. 23, no. 1, pp25-31.
• Squires B, Gargan MF, Bannister GC. Soft-tissue injuries of the cervical spine: A 15-year follow-up. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (British Edition), 1996; vol. 70B, pp955-57.
• Lord SM, Barnsley L, Wallis BJ, Bogduk, N.. Chronic cervical zygapophysial joint pain after whiplash. Spine, 1996; vol. 21, no. 15, pp1737-45.
• Spitzer WO, Skovron, ML, Salmi LR, et al. Redefining "whiplash" and its management. Scientific Monograph of the Quebec Task Force on Whiplash-Associated Disorders, Spine, 1995; vol. 20, no. 8S, pp1S-72S.