WHIPLASH CHIROPRACTICCERVICAL-ACCELERATION-DECELERATION injury (CAD)Whiplash chiropractic is well placed to treat the victims of motor vehicle accidents. There are 3 million whiplashes in the USA each year from MVAs alone. Of course, whiplash can occur in many other ways too. Numerous studies, done from 6 months to 15 years after a motor vehicle collision injury, reveal that between 40-50% of victims have permanent pain. Whiplash is a very significant phenomenon. ROAD DEATHS
*WHO global road safety report 2007. The report estimates that 1.3 million people die per year in road accidents. These statistics are quite difficult to interpret, as there are many other factors to be considered. For example, number of registered vehicles, miles travelled, public transport etc. For example, the Netherlands has an advanced system of rail and bus travel. It also has the highest petrol price in the world. If we assume that 90% of whiplash cases survive the accident(conservative), that would mean that the USA has about 420 000 people per year added to those suffering the effects of whiplash. (South Africa 110 000). Which ever way one wishes to interpret these figures it is clear that, if 40% of those people who survive whiplash MVA's have lasting symptoms, there remains huge scope for chiropractic management of the
symptoms of whiplash.
What is whiplash?In a rear end collision, one part of the spine, say the torso, is forced forwards by the seat, while another, usually the neck lags behind. Thus different parts of the spine are moving in different directions at the same moment.These sheer forces on the spine result in injuries to the ligaments and joints, the nerves and a pressure build up in the cerebral spinal fluid. Interestingly, MRI scans done on victims who died in MVAs were often negative, but autopsies revealed that many of them had bleeding and microfractures in the tissues, that could not be seen on scans. The MRI is a wonderful tool, but it too has limitations. There is no substitute for a thorough physical examination of the whiplash patient. Likewise, conventional X-rays are often 'insensitive' to whiplash injuries, showing little or no change. They are not a useful tool in ruling out whether a whiplash has occurred or not. Neither are they useful in predicting the future onset of osteo-arthritis that frequently follows whiplash. The literature shows that the most common injury sites are the neck, back, the shoulders and the knees. In an important study, reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers showed that treatment of the facet joints not only relieved severe neck pain, but also resolved the psychological disturbances associated with car accidents...
Whiplash doesn't only happen in car accidents, of course. It may be found in many shapes and sizes. Falls from horses is one of the more serious, skating too ...
Whiplash researchIn medical circles it is often assumed that the effect of whiplash is grossly exaggerated and controversial. Whiplash research however indicates that the controversy about whiplash is largely manufactured. It is propagated both by those who benefit from whiplash and by insurance companies who minimise its importance. Those who are simply uninformed and misinformed about whiplash research simply add to the confusion.For more information about whiplash research, click here. The role of the chiropractorChiropractors are trained to treat joint, muscle and ligament injuries, and thus are well placed to treat the victims of MVAs. Their primary role is to keep the facet joints mobilized, enhance optimal healing by treating muscles and ligaments, and reducing the likelihood of permanent pain. Good nutrition is also a part of Whiplash Chiropractic.The tiny so-called Joints of Luschka are particularly vulnerable. Any injury to them causes sharp spurs to invade the foramen where the nerve is emerging on it's way to the arm (and the diaphragm, amongst other things).
Thereafter, chiropractors encourage patients to start exercises and stretches, as this fits well with their philosophy of health care, to reduce the likelihood of permanent pain following crashes. Chiropractic is ideally suited for managing these whiplash chiropractic cases as the DC is trained in these approaches, and getting the patient back to normal activities of daily living as soon as possible. Thoracic Outlet Syndrome is one of the known consequences because of the intimate relationship between the artery and nerve supplying the arm, on the one hand, and the first rib, the collarbone and two important neck muscles often involved in whiplash chiropractic. For more,
click here. Thoracic Outlet Syndrome.
NUTRITIONWhiplash injuries to the joints obviously injures the joint cartilage. Hence the joints become arthritis. Once part of the chiropractic management of whiplash is nutrition, and that should include support for the cartilage.One good option is the gelatine found in
chicken bones. POLITICSWhat is certain is that the citizens of countries like the USA and South Africa suffer terrible consequences of weak-kneed politicians who do not have the will to make sure that the road laws are rigidly enforced.LINKSMonthly Newsletter. Signed up yet?
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