Subscribe To
This Site
Symptoms of WhiplashWhat is whiplash?What are the symptoms of whiplash ? A great multitude of symptoms and signs may occur after whiplash owing to the fact that every accident is unique and there is no typical patient. The common motor vehicle crash can damage the body, literally from the toes to the skull, and everything in between. It also can and does kill a great many people. Perhaps, more important is those it leaves disabled and spastic, or facing a lifetime of pain. If you learn nothing else from this page, may I humbly suggest that you drive more slowly, obey the laws of the road even when they are irritating (like a stoplight on orange), and never to drive when you have alcohol or drugs in your system. The human skull weighs typically just a little less than five kilograms. Set upon very small and fairly fragile cervical bones, and supported by soft tissue structures designed to make the head highly mobile, the skull, when abruptly set in motion, places very great forces on the neck and upper back. Fracture is not uncommon, strain of muscles and sprain of ligaments is usual, spinal subluxation an every-accident-event, and the shock to the neurological system enormous. Until recently, it was mystery how people emerged from an accident with almost no symptoms of whiplash, or signs, yet within 10 years their neck was an arthritic mess. Now it is well understood. Research shows that joint nutrition is dependent on movement within the joint. Once joints stop moving, the cartilage begins to degenerate (in mice at any rate) within 12 hours. Joint fixation leads inexorably to
Immobilisation Arthritis.
After thirty years in practice I am convinced of one thing: there are very few injuries that leave people completely untouched, without any symptoms of whiplash. Reasearch following victims of whiplash for ten years, reveals that only 12% have absolutely no symptoms. Psychological sequelae are ever present, and to make it more complex, research indicates that the presence of litigation often appears to delay healing.
There is a school of thought promulgated by a prominent orthopedist in the Netherlands that whiplash is no different to a sprained ankle. This lady's views, portrayed in a prominent (and I believe highly irresponsible) newspaper article caused great anxiety and confusion to many victims of whiplash. Her opinion seems to be that either whiplash kills you, or causes little more than sprain of ligaments and strain of muscles. There is no continuum. Oddly she even denies that a collar may be of value in whiplash, but is happy to recommend a cast or supporting bandage for a sprained ankle. Seemingly, having forgotten that the skull and cervical spine contain the most sensitive structures in the body, the central nervous system, they have plunged many victims of whiplash into despair. "If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail." Abraham Maslow Fortunately, as Chiropractors, we have many tools at hand. We can immobilise (with a collar), stretch, massage, cross-friction, adjust the spine using both forcible and gentle techniques, use ice for the swelling, and counsel. What is problematic for doctors who see whiplash in only one mindset, having only one implement in their toolbox, is that that tool may indeed become a hammer in his hand. This is just as true of a medical man who has only drugs at hand, as the chiropractor who only adjusts the spine forcibly. Their treatment may not be the treatment of choice for an acute whiplash, and may aggravate the symptoms of whiplash. X-rayEvery doctor can and should use his own discretion, but for myself I would choose to rule out fracture and serious ligamentous injury more often than not. Three times in my career I have had patients who presented with upper cervical pain several weeks after an MVA. They had been X-rayed in a South African hospital where an APOM is only rarely taken. All three had an Atlas fracture. It was only a careful clinical exam that revealed the likelihood of a fracture, saving my bacon and their lives. Manipulation would have been disastrous.Whiplash of course doesn't not only occur after MVAs. A fall from a horse, a trampoline, thundering down a staircase ... fractures of a lesser nature are not uncommon. Few escape without some form of injury that may leave lasting symptoms of whiplash. So, what are these symptoms of whiplash?They are divergent and complex. There are no two that are exactly the same. The position of your head in the accident, the angle at which you were struck, or struck another impediment (and then another?), whether you anticipated the accident and tensed your muscles. All of these variables make each whiplash unique.It can affect your low back, your ribcage, and whilst the seatbelt may haved saved your life it probably contused the breastbone and ribs. The airbags themselves can cause injury. You are not going crazy! But recognise this: if you are hoping for a big monetary claim, research clearly shows that it's likely to delay healing, perhaps seriously so. Get on with life, accept that what has happened, is history; it's set in concrete and bemoaning the fact will do you not one iota of good. If you get compensation, well and good. If not, put the accident firmly behind you, and move on. Do not, for heavens sake, allow that drunk to continue trampling your mind, long after the accident. And if your own stupidity caused the accident? There's a lovely Chinese proverb that says: "Even a wise man can make a new mistake every day."
Move on, just don't make the same one again! That's not wise. Even if your foolishness led to the death of another innocent person, move on, make up for it in whatever way you can. Allowing guilt to paralyse the rest of our lives has no benefit to anyone.
This little page will give you some idea of how vulnerable the neck is to whiplash. It's the anatomy of the upper neck. No rocket science stuff, just for the layperson. Short and succinct. Monthly newsletter - signed up yet?
|
