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Injury From Auto Accident Weakens the Neck

Rear-end collisions, even at low speed, can be extremely violent. Through the use of live subjects in crash tests involving rear-end collisions, scientists discovered that persons who experience head accelerations can experience up to nine G-forces, which is a speed nine times that of the force of gravity. What this implies is a person’s head, which usually weighs approximately 10 pounds, all of a sudden weighs 90 pounds. In its most basic version, whiplash is explained as: a person’s body is pushed one way, while the person’s head is pushed the opposite way. It comes as no surprise that much of the injury occurs in the ligaments that join the vertebrae that lie in-between the torso and the head, in the neck. The truth is, the pressures on the ligaments of the spine are in the upper area.

This issue was viewed specifically by Ivancic and colleagues(1) at Yale University. They discovered that while performing an example collision, the pressure in the lower part of the neck was 269.5 Newtons, or nearly 60 pounds of pressure, in approximately 1/20 of a second. This is the fact: when the strains are concentrated in such a small area, the human spine is not built to handle it. Research has shown that these forces are much more powerful than those that would normally act on the ligaments holding the spine together. There was a closer look at whiplash effects on the ligaments of the spine with a new study(2) by the same researchers at Yale.

The investigators began with 12 spines from cadavers: six of these spines had experienced a simulation of whiplash acceleration, while the others served as the control group. Each facet joint was then tested after being removed from the spines, in order to determine if the laxity of the joints varied between the two groups. This attached graph displays the contrast in joint stretch in the two sections. It’s apparent that the whiplash-damaged ligaments were severely weaker than non-injured ligaments.

Whiplash Accidents Neck Injuries Treated, Short North Columbus, Ohio
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Imaging Whiplash Injuries

In this very interesting article, a noteworthy point is made. Occupants of a car that is involved in a collision may experience neck pain, no matter which direction the impact comes from; however, this is far more likely to occur when the impact comes from the rear.

An eight mile per hour rear-end collision that has a 2-g acceleration (2-g = 2 times the gravitational force of earth) of the vehicle could cause a 5-g acceleration of the head. Experiments that used volunteers showed that a ten mile per hour rear-end collision could generate a 9-g acceleration of the neck and 23-g of the frontal cortex.

It has been shown that 10-60% of people in a car accident suffer from sprains in the neck. The ones that did not wear seatbelts have less sprains of the neck than those wearing them.

The incidence of whiplash caused by rear end impacts can be significantly reduced by the use of head restraints. In fact, the reduction is as much as ten percent in cars that have adjustable head restraints and seventeen percent in those with fixed head restraints. Additionally, the authors give good evaluations of the effectiveness of the various imaging techniques.

• Plain Radiographs: They say that plain radiographs should be used first when evaluating a whiplash injury. This is in order to obtain an image for reference of the cervical spine when injured, and in addition, to evaluate possible lesions that are traumatic. Using this method, secondary symptoms like degenerative disease can be assessed objectively, even when they are noted some length of time after the trauma. Additionally, the authors caution that plain radiographs may not be entirely effective in the identification of traumatic cervical spine injuries. In a large series of patients with cervical injuries, the combination of cross-table lateral (CTL), AP and OM-views had the following results: Sixty-one percent of all fractures were missed. Thirty-six percent of subluxations and dislocations were also missed. Additionally, injuries in twenty-three percent of the patients were falsely identified. Half of these patients had unstable cervical injuries, and some had normal cervical spines.

• CT scans: For this reason, when a trauma victim has a plain film that shows cervical injury or a high clinical suspicion of injury, the patient should have an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) or a CT (computed tomography) scan. This will give a clearer and more definitive evaluation of the condition of the cervical spine. A CT (computed tomography) scan is a good choice for all patients who have experienced acute trauma. This is especially true when the cervical spine cannot be seen well utilizing plain film. This is also true when there is focal neck pain that cannot be explained, or there is a neurological deficit that does not show up on plain film. Additionally, if there is unexplained soft tissue swelling in the pre-vertebral region or if the plain film is abnormal for any other reason, a CT (computed tomography) or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is advised. These tests can reveal soft tissue problems like herniated disks, ruptured ligaments, and soft tissue hematoma. However, CT is limited when it comes to its ability in evaluating cervical trauma. It is not as easy to see dislocations, subluxations, abnormal angulations, and intervertebral distances using CT as it is using old-fashioned radiography or the newer, tomography. In one research experiment(3) CT just detected 54% of dislocations and subluxations of trauma victims.

• MRI:

o MRI data of whiplash injuries vary greatly and differ considering the time period between the x-rays and the accident.

o During the chronic phase, the first year after the trauma, usually findings will be non-specific. They will include degenerative disk disease as well as disk protrusions and/or herniation. Very few patients show bony or ligamentous lesions.

o While experiencing the subacute phase, within four months of the whiplash incident, more characteristic results such as separations of the disk from the vertebral end plate, as well as ligamentous lesions are typically reported. When comparing the anterior longitudinal ligament (ALL) and the posterior longitudinal ligament (PLL) or interspinous ligament, the ALL is more frequently injured.

o Often no specific findings will be made during the fifteen days following the original injury. This phase is often referred to as the acute phase.

o If the patient experiences neurological deficit, myelopathy, spinal cord injury, or radiculopathy, an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) may be indicated. This is especially true if the symptoms surpass what should be expected from findings revealed by a standard radiograph. In cases of whiplash injury, it is wise to use MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) as standard procedure. This is especially true when the patient complains of symptoms specific to whiplash injury or if other investigation reveals significant findings.

Whiplash Accidents Injuries Treated, Short North Columbus, Ohio
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Patients who have chronic spinal pain syndromes and were under chiropractor care did a lot better than patients who took medicine or had acupuncture.

Patients who were a part of the study had pain for over 13 weeks. Each of the three groups of participants were treated with one type of care. There was acupuncture given to one group, medication to another, and chiropractic care was given to another group.

Questionnaires that were standardized were used to evaluate the participants. Participants completed these questionnaires when they started the study and again after 9 weeks of care. There was a comparison to the same questionnaires, of the results, that were administered to the same patients one year later.

Chronic Spinal Pain Syndromes Treated, Short North Columbus, Ohio
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Researchers took great pains not to include those who were receiving a number of forms of care for their affliction. The aim was to have the results show the benefits of one type of care. Using this method, external factors would be minimized and the outcome should be completely based on the kind of care the patient had.

It was found that after one year, only those that received chiropractic care still noted significant improvement. Researchers found that patients in all three groups realized some short term benefits from whatever care they received. The group that received medication did not do as well as the group that received acupuncture.

The best results, however, were produced in the group that was the recipient of chiropractic care. The conclusion of the authors was that broad-based, beneficial short-term and long-term outcomes were enjoyed by patients with chronic mechanical pain syndromes who received spinal manipulation.

Chiropractic Care for Auto Accidents

Whiplash Accidents Injuries Treated, Short North Columbus, Ohio
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I see a variety of clients with injuries and pain of the back, neck and headaches. The reason for the symptoms, in many cases, are related to car accidents, or other types of personal injuries. Frequently, the questionable auto accidents happened in the previous years but the early signs were not considered important by the patient.

Most people try to get their cars fixed as soon as possible, but they don’t bother to see if they are alright themselves. Examples of this reasoning can be found in other scenarios, also. I used to know a woman who was proud of the fact that although she was a smoker, she never allowed smoking in her car since she wanted to keep it smelling fresh!

I’m not sure what the reason is for having these kind of thoughts. Many people dismiss the slight neck or back pain and headaches after they experience an auto accident. This thought process is flawed. Imagine if we didn’t care about other health problems like this.

The injuries resulting from whiplash type accidents are not simple. Muscles are pulled and ripped, sometimes ligaments can break partially or completely, a herniated disc can occur and the spine could be fractured as well.

Many mild to severe symptoms can be caused by these injuries of the neck and back. It’s bad enough when you experience pain in the back and neck over the short term, but over the long term it’s unbearable.

Even though there is a complex mechanism of injury in cases of whiplash, the usual spinal injuries that occur are following a well established path. Irritation of the ligaments and muscles within the injured area is the first symptom presented. Inflammation results from the irritation. Inflammation is not just to blame for a lot of the beginning symptoms that you feel, but it is also to blame for scar tissue development which causes your symptoms to be permanent or last forever.

Ongoing aches and pains as a result of an accident occur in roughly one out of four auto accident injuries.

In my chiropractic office in Columbus, Ohio I see the statistics become reality. Chiropractors can be of great help in treating back pain, neck pain and headaches that are caused by motor vehicle accidents. You should be examined, and treated if necessary, by your chiropractor if you want to make sure that you are not one of the 25% of people that do not recover from injuries sustained in a car accident.

Whiplash Accidents Injuries Treated, Short North Columbus, Ohio
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A Chiropractor treats injuries from a car accident.

When were you in a car accident?

Did a chiropractor assess you? If not, you should have this done. It’s always still possible to pursue this treatment.

Quite a few persons have been treated by my Columbus Chiropractic Office for back pain, headaches, and neck pain caused by car accidents. It may surprise you that we not only treat patients with recent injuries from auto accidents, but also those that had accidents that were dismissed as mild and not previously treated.

It has always seemed strange to me that people usually don’t look after themselves as well as they look after their cars. I’m not sure why so many people hold onto these types of thoughts. Slight neck pain, headaches and lower back pain are all too often minimized, overlooked, or brushed off as not something to worry about after an auto collision injury. This shouldn’t be the case. Can you imagine if other health concerns were treated so recklessly?

The injury triggers in whiplash related accidents are complicated. Discs can become herniated, fractures of the spine can occur, muscles stretch and tear and ligaments can often partially tear or even burst. There are numerous various symptoms that can cause pain in the neck or back, ranging in severity from an irritation that is small to a disability that is severe as a result of these injuries. Short-term back and neck pain is very distressing, but chronic back and neck problems are even more difficult to cope with.

While whiplash is a complex injury, the spinal injuries that result often show a common pattern. Muscles and ligaments at the injury location start feeling irritated. Inflammation results from the irritation. The inflammatory process is the cause of the majority of symptoms at the onset, and it also causes the development of scar tissue that can cause these symptoms to become permanent or chronic.

One quarter of auto accident victims develop chronic problems from their injuries. I frequently witness this statistic in reality in my Columbus, Ohio chiropractic office.

Car accidents often result in neck and back pain along with headaches, areas that chiropractors excel in caring for. To make sure that you are not part of the one-fourth of those people who do not recover completely from a car crash injury, see a chiropractor as soon as possible for examination and treatment.

Whiplash Accidents Injuries Treated, Short North Columbus, Ohio
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The benefits of chiropractic care for those who are afflicted with vertigo are discussed in a research report published in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research of November 8, 2006. Sixty patients that were diagnosed with vertigo by their doctors were given chiropractic care in the study; then the results were noted and published.

A feeling of spinning with dizziness characterizes the condition of vertigo. Light-headedness, nausea, and problems with balance are experienced by many sufferers due to the feeling of rotation or movement. There are no lab tests for vertigo, so diagnosis is normally based on the symptoms that patients describe. The study investigated a causal link between vertigo and the nervous system.

Vertigo Treated by Dr. Smith at Short North Columbus Chiropractic Office in Ohio
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The vast majority of patients reported having incurred a physical trauma before the spells of vertigo started. The patients in the study reported their injuries were incurred by auto accidents, sports injuries (such as skiing or bicycling), or slipping on ice. A notation was made that head or neck area trauma was suffered by all of these individuals.

Initial examinations of the 60 patients revealed that all had vertebral subluxations. So that there would be a consistent method of measuring subluxation findings and correction progress, analysis procedures were performed utilizing paraspinal digital infrared imaging.

All of the sixty subjects in this study received chiropractic care that was specific for subluxation correction. There was a positive response from all of the patients included in this study to that care, as shown by the results. There was a one- to six-month variation in the time frame for the responses. Within a half a year, 48 of the original 60 patients had no more symptoms. There was also better improvement shown by the twelve patients that were remaining with either frequency or severity in vertigo episodes.

There is a definite causal relationship between neck injury and spells of vertigo, as reported by the author of the study. It seems that utilizing IUCCA protocol, which is a form of chiropractic care, to correct the injury to the upper cervical spine, improves and/or reverses vertigo disorders.

Whiplash Accidents Injury Headaches Treated, Short North Columbus, Ohio
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In my Short North, Columbus Chiropractic office I see and successfully treat patients with headaches, there are five general kinds of headaches – tension, toxic, sinus, cluster as well as migraine – so you can have a better understanding of what kind of headache you have.

Read about Headache and the Various Types of Headaches

Whiplash from a car accident is a common reason for headaches to start happening, and whiplash headaches respond very well to Chiropractic treatments.

A general practitioner will give medicine to relieve the headache briefly, but this doesn’t do anything to fix the reason for the headache. Chiropractic care,  will fix the reason for many kinds of headaches quickly, and save you from taking painkillers, which can cause other types of headaches and definitely cause other health problems.

Whiplash Accident Headaches Treated, Short North Columbus, Ohio
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Whiplash Accidents Injuries Treated, Short North Columbus, Ohio Call 614 299 9797 to make an appointment.

In my  Short North, Columbus Office, “When the rains begin to fall, we know to expect calls from our regular patients and new referrals to address pain stemming from car accident injuries. When roads are slick and slippery, it is around 4 to 5 times more likely for an accident to occur when compared to calm weather. In the last decade and a half, my Chiropractic office in Columbus has seen hundreds of car accident and personal injury victims.

Whiplash is the classic neck injury that is most commonly caused by automobile accident”

Whiplash Accidents Injuries Treated, Short North Columbus, Ohio
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