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What You Need to Know About Whiplash

Whiplash injuries are soft-tissue injuries to the neck caused by a sudden movement of the head, backward, forward, or sideways. Most people are familiar with whiplash as the result of a car accident, but whiplash can also happen while playing sports, particularly football, or by an accident at work. Whatever the cause, whiplash or other neck injuries warrant a thorough chiropractic check-up.

At HealthQuest Chiropractic, we’ve noticed that for many of our whiplash patients, the symptoms took weeks to become obvious, and some whiplash patients even had complications surface years later. Studies report that some 45% of all whiplash victims report that they still suffer with symptoms two years later.

Interestingly, whiplash injuries can occur at very low speeds, or with very little movement of the victim’s body. A car crash occurring at 5 mph, for example, can generate as much as 5 g’s of force, and injuries can occur when the body shifts violently on 4 – 6 inches. Even when the head doesn’t strike the windshield and there are no fractures, 62% to 98% of accident victims suffer from neck pain, which typically starts two hours up to two days after the accident. And 66% to 70% of those whiplash sufferers also suffer from mild to severe headaches. Radiating neck and shoulder pain is also a common side effect of whiplash injury. More severe disc damage may cause sharp pain with certain movements, with or without radiation into the arms, hand and fingers.

In the past a whiplash injury was hard to document. Because typically no bones are broken and soft tissue injuries don’t show up on normal x-rays or radiographs, insurance companies would deny coverage. Worse, the patient (who was suffering an all-too-real pain) was branded a hypochondriac, a fraud, or a liar. However new imaging devices such as CAT Scans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and Ultrasound can now show soft tissue injury, and insurance companies now cover most whiplash injuries.

The most common cause of whiplash is an automobile accident in which the car is struck from behind or collides with another vehicle or object. The victim’s head is suddenly jerked back and forth beyond its normal limits, and the muscles and ligaments supporting the spine are over-stretched or torn. In a rear end collision for example, the victim's car is first pushed or accelerated forward and then rapidly slowed down, or decelerated. As the vehicle accelerates forward, it pushes the body forward too, but the head remains behind momentarily, rocking up and back, until some of the muscles and ligaments are stretched or torn. The neck muscles, in a reflex action, contract to bring the occupant’s head forward again, and to prevent excessive injury. Unfortunately, this causes an overcompensation effect because at this point the head is already traveling in a forward direction as the car decelerates. The result is that the head is violently pulled forward, tearing more muscles and ligaments.

And the damage doesn’t stop there. The soft pulpy discs between the vertebrae can bulge, tear, or rupture. Vertebrae may be forced out of their normal position, reducing range of motion. The spinal cord and nerve roots get stretched, irritated, and squeezed. Although seatbelts may prevent the victim’s head from striking the steering wheel or windshield, they do very little to prevent whiplash.

Treatment
The traditional approach of using a neck collar to treat whiplash injuries has been shown to be ineffective at best, and injurious at worst. Studies have revealed that chiropractic and physical therapies are the most effective therapies for the treatment of whiplash, with the longest lasting results.

Who Pays the Doctor’s Bills?
Automobile accidents are covered 100% by insurance companies. Workmen’s compensation injuries are covered 100% by insurance companies.

The chart below lists the most common whiplash symptoms. If you experience any of these symptoms, even after a “fender bender”, play it safe and get a chiropractic check up.

• Basic Whiplash Symptoms

• Neck pain and/or stiffness

• Blurred vision

• Difficulty swallowing

• Irritability

• Fatigue

• Dizziness

• Pain between the shoulder blades

• Pain in the arms or legs, feet and hands

• Headache

• Low back pain and/or stiffness

• Shoulder pain

• Nausea

• Ringing in the ears

• Vertigo

• Numbness and tingling

• Pain in the jaw or face

If you or anyone you know has been involved in a situation that could have caused whiplash, don’t wait for symptoms to show up. Get examined by your chiropractor immediately. HealthQuest offers a free consultation for accident victims. Simply call toll-free: (877) 789-4325 for an appointment with a licensed HealthQuest chiropractor.

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