“Whiplash” generally occurs as the result of sudden movement of the head and neck forward, backward, or sideways. It usually results from a car accident, but can also be caused in sports or accidents at work. Symptoms of whiplash can come on immediately following trauma, but can also take days and sometimes weeks to appear. Some common symptoms of whiplash include neck pain, headaches, difficulty swallowing, fatigue, back pain, dizziness, nausea, pain or numbness of the arms or legs, forgetfulness, irritability, pain in the jaw or face.

How does whiplash happen? The most common cause of whiplash is riding in a car that is struck from behind. When the car is struck the head is violently jerked backward and then forward causing the muscles and ligaments to be stretched beyond their normal limits. This sudden movement causes the muscles and ligaments to be stretched and, in some cases, torn.

In addition to the ligament and muscle pain, there is pain caused by excessive joint motion. Over time this excessive movement can cause conditions such as early onset osteoarthritis. As a result of the damage, muscles tighten like the guide wires of a telephone pole to stabilize the spine and prevent further injury. This causes stiffness and decreased range of motion of (ability to move) the neck.
Many times there is little to no damage to the vehicles involved in the collision and often it is assumed there should also be little to no injury to the people involved.
This is simply not true!

A recent study from Japan showed that people involved in crashes with little to no damage required just as much care as those involved in crashes were the vehicle was completely destroyed! In many of these cases with little damage, individuals feel pressure from insurance providers to settle their claims before any evaluation or treatment is received. Unfortunately, most of the time symptoms do not get better without treatment and, in fact, often times get much worse.

In many cases, following a collision, individuals are evaluated in emergency rooms. The physicians may order X-Rays, CT scans or a MRI to evaluate the injury thoroughly. In some cases these studies come back negative or showing no obvious injury. This, however, does not mean that an injury does not exist. These studies are designed to evaluate for fractures, dislocations, disc injuries, and large connective tissue tears. Many times the ligaments are stretched, not torn, and therefore do not show up on MRI. Plus the upper 1/3 of the neck has no disc, so MRI cannot properly evaluate this area. And, if your neck hurts when you move, why would you study it while you are not moving? We use Dynamic Motion X-Ray to study your spine while it is in motion. This allows us to identify the joints that are moving too much as the result of ligament damage and more effectively treat your injuries.

Why Chiropractic? Doctors of Chiropractic are physicians specially trained in the diagnosis and non-surgical, drugless treatment of conditions involving the spine. When a joint is damaged it, as well as other joints, will fixate causing a decreased range of motion. Chiropractic treats these joints and helps restore your normal range of motion which allows proper rehab of your injury(s). We also use various therapies to decrease inflammation and promote proper healing of damaged tissues. In a manner of speaking,

Chiropractic is to whiplash as Dentistry is to cavities. You wouldn’t have anyone other than a dentist treat your teeth, so why would anyone other than a chiropractor treat your whiplash injuries?