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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
These statistics are quite difficult to interpret, as there are many other factors. 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. 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. 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 researchWhiplash is expected by many to be one of controversy. 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 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.
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.
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