Whiplash - It
is simply a term used to
describe injury to the soft
tissue structures of the
cervical spine (neck). The term
most accurately describes
sprain/strain to the muscles and
ligaments of the neck. The
diagnosis is determined by the
history of accident; mechanism
of injury (rear end force);
symptoms and physical findings
on examination. SEE SECTION ON
“MOST COMMON SYMPTOMS TO LOOK
FOR."
How Do I Know If I Have
Whiplash?
First, by being the
recipient of a mechanism of
force. When there is a force of
injury to the neck which can
include neck extension, flexion,
downward compression or upward
distraction. The bad news is
that you can be injured and not
have symptoms.
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The most common
symptoms are: |
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Pain in
neck/across
shoulder |
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Pain in
arm/shoulder/wrist |
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Tightness |
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Limitation of
motion |
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Discomfort
aggravated by
motion |
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Tingling'
sensation |
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Other associated
symptoms include: |
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Headache/Dizziness |
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Ringing in the
ears with other
audio or visual
disturbances |
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Varying degrees
of anxiety |
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IF you have any
of the symptoms
listed above or
there is
anything
different in
your life, have
it checked out
now. If there is
anything that is
accommodating or
restrictive
including your
level of
anxiety, the
manner in which
you react to
stress,
differences in
activities as
work, endurance
or strength
levels, pace,
concentration,
decision making,
physical limits
that didn’t
exist before and
may restrict you
in work, at
home, having
sex, sleeping,
energy levels or
any interference
with
recreational
activities, you
should report
for an
evaluation.
Research from a
study of 5,000
cases reports
that 25% of
motor vehicle
accident cases
develop chronic
disability of
some type.
Journal of
Clinical and
Experimental
Neurology, Vol.
23, pgs 179-182,
1987, Research.
Is
Whiplash Fact Or
Fiction?
Evidence
suggests that
this is real!
Furthermore, it
has the
potential to
cause
significant
impairment and
that it
(whiplash)
benefits from a
rational
approach to
treatment. The
information has
been derived
from the
“Whiplash
Syndrome”
Hirsch; Hirsch;
Hiramoto &
Weiss.
The law of
physics called,
“The
Magnification
of Accelerated
Forces”,
along with
testing
performed
utilizing
various models
including
dummies,
primates, even
human
volunteers, and
research from
McKenzie
JA;
Williams JF;
The dynamic
behavior of the
head and
cervical spine
during whiplash.
Journal/Biomechanics
4:447-490, 1971,
tells us that
even when the G
force of
acceleration of
the car is as
little as 2G’s,
that force of
acceleration is
magnified and
transferred to
the head and
neck of the
vehicle
occupants where
it more than
doubles to 5G’s.
(Pilots pass out
at 6G’s of force
and cerebral
contusion may
occur in 50% of
the incidence of
5G’s or more).
This 2G force
occurs in just
an 8 mile per
hour impact and
may or may not
cause any damage
to the vehicle.
You can get
injured from low
impact forces
without damage
to the car and
may not feel any
symptoms at
first.
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If you are
one of the estimated 80 million
Americans who have been in an
accident and you have symptoms that
include headache, jaw or neck pain,
stiffness, loss of energy, irritability,
difficulty concentrating or sleeping,
nervousness, shoulder, arm, wrist or
leg, pain, it may be a result or your
accident. Fifty million of you may not
realize it!
If you’ve been in an accident and you
don’t have symptoms, they may be hidden
– for now!
Insurance companies are aware that
significant energy is produced during an
accident, even at low speeds.
According to insurance company studies,
and as published in the Journal;
Bone/Joint Surgery 46:A 1797-1799,1964 -
Acceleration Injuries of the Cervical
Spine, vehicles which do not sustain
damage in low speed impacts can produce
correspondingly higher dynamic loadings
on their occupants than those which
occur under more severe impact
conditions. In other words, when the car
is spared damage, the dynamic loads are
ultimately transferred to the head and
neck of the occupants. Ironically,
people can be injured while the car
remains undamaged.
This can be seen in race car collisions.
The car is broken up into lots of pieces
yet the driver walks away. That’s
because race cars are designed to break
up and transfer the energy of impact
force away from the driver. Each
shattered piece of broken car absorbs
the energy instead of the driver. Modern
transportation vehicles are designed to
transfer the energy from the bumper and
direct it to the car frame, where it
travels along the frame of the car, up
through the seats and ultimately to the
head and neck of the car occupants.
The
definitive AUTO
CRASH INJURY RESEARCH of the
Institute of Transportation and Traffic
Engineering reports that in an 8.2 mile
per hour rear end collision, there are 5
G’s of force produced and transferred to
the head and neck of the car occupants.
Pilots of F-14’s wear special G suits to
keep them from passing our which occurs
when the force to the head and neck is 6
G’s. So we are talking about a
significant force - 5 G’s – which occurs
in just 8.2 miles per hour rear impact.
Did you know that as many as 80% of
headaches are actually believed to be
due to low speed impacts (auto accidents
which are left untreated).
Medical research states that it can take
weeks, months and even years for
symptoms to appear. The insurance
companies customarily provide a two year
period after an accident for coverage of
medical expenses, including examinations
that are accident related. If you have
been in an accident you are entitled to
an evaluation. Early detection is now
made possible through medical advances
that aid physicians of existing or
potential underlying problems.
The American Association of Orthopedic
Surgeons reports in Vol. 36; pgs 499
512, 1987 that the most injurious motion
from an automotive collision is neck
hyperextension, where even low speed
rear end collisions may produce
significant forces which can cause
ligament tears, soft tissue hemorrhage,
disc fiber damage and vertebra
fractures.
For those of you concerned about
arthritis, there is a 6.5 time increase
in the incidence of arthritis
development in the neck after an
accident.
This web site was developed so concerned
professionals in health care could have
a platform to provide the unsuspecting
victim of an accident with facts,
references, rights and the consequences
of accidents, particularly low speed
collisions, because they are the ones
most overlooked.
Get all the information you need.
Contact the professional in your area
about your health especially any
symptoms and the possible relation to
your accident, even if it happened
months ago. |
