Whiplash

By Jay M. Lipoff, DC

Back At Your Best Chiropractic & Physical Therapy, LLC

. http://backatyourbest.com/

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Whiplash

Whiplash is a sudden forward and/or backward movement of the head after an accident or a fall like a football tackle, slip and fall, or a car accident. Studies show damage to the neck and back may either be felt immediately, not for hours, or sometimes even years.

Too often patients admit being in a car accident but believe it wasn't too bad even though they admit, “The car was totaled!” Many patients have problems today because they ignored their own health because they could not “see any damage” like, a broken tooth or dented vehicle, or they felt no pain.

When a 3,000-pound vehicle of steel is damaged, there's no way a seat belted 150-pound soft tissue body can withstand this 15G force. The impact to the driver is 2.5 times greater than the force to the vehicle itself.

Humans show soft tissue injuries after only a 2.5 mph accident; whereas a vehicle may not show damage until 8.7 mph. The spine can't fix itself so left alone it will cause postural abnormalities and spinal problems.

An Australian study found that accident victims recover rapidly during the first three months after an accident. Beyond that, recovery is slow and limited, further supporting early treatment is requisite. Without care, 20-40% of accident sufferers will have symptoms that persist for years.

Exercises only train your muscles to support a damaged spine. It's like putting new tires on your wrecked car. When the spine is left uncorrected, resultant adaptive changes will occur and lead to biomechanical stress and pain.

Chiropractic physicians are trained to fix the alignment of your body before specific exercises are recommended. Without these adjustments the spine will fail at only 40% of its original strength.

One study found whiplash subjects had 39% more disc degeneration than the control group, which had only 6% degenerative changes.

When you fail to give your neck proper attention immediately following an injury, pain and stiffness can develop and lead to limited motion, changes in your posture, headaches and muscle tension. These problems can lead to disc bulges, nerve pain, hypolordosis, arthritis and instability.