Car Collision
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Car Collision
Car Collision
Whiplash consists of some classic symptoms. Sometimes these symptoms occur immediately after the crash and other times they may take weeks or even months to appear.
Common Symptoms of Whiplash:
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Headache
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Neck Pain
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Dizziness
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Shoulder Pain
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Jaw Pain
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Arm Pain
Are these symptoms familiar?
The key to recovering quickly from your whiplash injury is to understand how it occurred. It is hard to sort out the truth from the myths of whiplash. This guide is to help you understand how you were injured and how you can get well.
Your spine: how it's built...
Your spine supports your body weight, aids in movement, and serves as a passageway for your spinal cord and nervous system. The spine is made up of 25 bones, or vertebrae, that are individually designed for specific roles. Each vertebrae is separated by a tough disc that cushions the bones and allows flexibility and movement. The spine as a whole, with its many bones and discs, is capable of very large motions. But each individual joint by itself allows only a few degrees of movement.
How your neck moves...
The neck is the most flexible part of the spine. It allows your head to move in practically any direction. But, its flexibility also makes it the area of the spine most vulnerable to injury.
The key to the movement of the cervical spine (or neck region) is what is known as the facet (pronounced "fuh-set") joint. The facet joint is part of each neck vertebrae, and it allows the bones to glide smoothly over each other. All of these neck facet joints moving together make it possible for the head to nod forward and backward.
How collisions can hurt your body...
The bottom line on whiplash is this: your body was not designed for the abnormal motions that occur during a collision.
Normally, when your head moves forward and backward, all of the vertebrae participate equally and safely in the motion. Whiplash, however, is not normal motion.
Normally, when your head moves forward and backward, all of the vertebrae participate equally and safely in the motion. Whiplash, however, is not normal motion.
As we saw earlier, the facet joints allow smooth, controlled forward and backward motion of the head and neck. And each joint moves equally to aid this motion.
Let's look at what happens to your neck during the four phases of a collision.
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Phase I
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You're sitting in your car, with your head and neck positioned normally. This is what your neck looks like, just before the collision.
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Phase II
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Immediately after impact, the car seat shoves your back and chest forward. This results in your spine straightening. This rapid straightening creates a great deal of pressure on your neck joints.
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Phase III
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Next, within just a fraction of a second, your head and neck are thrust backwards, while your chest is still moving forward. These two parts of your body are yanked in opposite directions. This results in sharp bending in just one or two joints in your neck. Instead of the joints moving together, all of the stress is focused in one small area of your spine.
This bending in certain segments of your neck can easily strain those joints--even in collisions as slow as 5 mph.
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Phase IV
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Finally, your head is thrown forward, ending the whiplash motion.
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Although many different parts of your body can be injured in whiplash, the very latest scientific studies show that it is the bending of the spine that causes the most harm.
Why your body hurts...
All of the most common symptoms of whiplash can be traced either directly or indirectly to the trauma your neck experienced.
There are three major types of injury that whiplash can cause, and these are muscle injury, nerve injury, and facet joint injury. Let's look at each, and see how these injuries affect your recovery and treatment.
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Muscle Injury
- Most whiplash pain involves muscle tissue, since it is the easiest to damage in a collision. During the impact, the muscles in your neck are stretched beyond what they normally experience. Muscle damage is accompanied by swelling and tenderness of the muscles in the neck and shoulders. Fortunately, muscle injuries heal quickly and usually don't require extensive, lengthy treatment.
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Nerve Injury
- Just as muscles are stretched during the rapid motion of whiplash, so are nerves. Most nerves are able to handle such motion. But if your head is turned or if your head restraint is not adjusted properly, a nerve can be stretched too far or pinched.
Nerve injuries can be slightly more difficult to treat than muscle damage. Time is the best treatment. In some cases, nerves that are trapped by bones or muscles may require more extensive therapy or even surgery.
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Facet Joint Injury
- Facet joint injury can show itself in a variety of ways. Pain in the area of the joint is the most common symptom. Facet damage, though, can also result in pain that is felt elsewhere in the body. Shoulder and arm pain are common whiplash complaints that may be related to facet joint injury.
Treatment of joint damage can be more difficult for many reasons. First, the joint itself does not have a good supply of blood, which makes it hard for the tissues to heal. Secondly, constant motion of the joint and swelling can irritate the injury.
Again, time is the best treatment, and chiropractic plays a crucial role in improving joint health. Your doctor can determine the cause of your pain, and help you decide the best treatment.
Treatment of whiplash injuries...
Whiplash is a unique condition that requires a skilled health professional specifically trained to work with soft-tissue injuries. Many patients report success from muscular therapy and chiropractic treatment. These modalities can be effective because of the way they work directly with the injured tissues in your body.
Here are just a few of the things that a chiropractor can do for you:
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Diagnose your condition, and pinpoint the source of your pain--whether it is a new injury or one that is many years old.
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Help relieve pain caused by whiplash accidents.
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Improve your spine's mobility and flexibility.
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Increase blood flow to the damaged areas, helping them heal faster and fully.
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Provide referrals to other qualified health and legal professionals that you may need.
Whiplash is a sudden movement of the head that can lead to tearing of muscles, ligaments, and other soft-tissues. The most commonly injured muscles are the longus colli and the sternocledomastoids. These muscles in the front of the neck can become very sore for several weeks. Whiplash can also cause a stretching injury to the neck ligaments. Common symptoms include headaches, stiffness, neck pain, mild dizziness, problems thinking or remembering, numbness and tingling, and jaw pain. Low back pain and hip pain are also common.
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