Whiplash research has indeed become a domain of controversy, as the scientifically proven facts now conclude that the controversy largely is manufactured. It is propagated by those who may benefit unduly from whiplash, or insurance companies who are hellbent on showing the whiplash mostly is of minor significance, and those who are simply uninformed.
- IS NECK PAIN AND HEADACHE AFTER WHIPLASH FEIGNED?
Spine Journal 1999: ARTICLES SUGGESTING WHIPLASH INJURIES ARE FEIGNED WERE FOUND TO HAVE NO SCIENTIFIC BASIS.
The validity of whiplash syndrome has been a source of debate in the medical literature for many years. Some authors have published articles suggesting that whiplash injuries are impossible at certain collision speeds ; others have stated that the problem is psychological, or is feigned as a means to obtain secondary financial gain.
These articles contradict the majority of the literature, which shows that whiplash injuries and their sequelae are a highly prevalent problem that affects a significant proportion of the population.
The authors of the current literature critique reviewed the biomedical and engineering literature relating to whiplash syndrome, searching for articles that refuted the validity of whiplash injuries. Twenty articles containing nine distinct statements refuting the validity of whiplash syndrome were found that fit the inclusion criteria. The methodology described in these articles was evaluated critically to determine if the authors' observations regarding the validity of whiplash syndrome were scientifically sound.
The authors of the current critique found that all of the articles contained significant methodologic flaws with regard to their respective authors' statements refuting the validity of whiplash syndrome.
As a result of the current literature review, it was determined that there is no epidemiologic or scientific basis in the literature for the following statements. THEY ARE FALSE:
- whiplash injuries do not lead to chronic pain,
- rear impact collisions that do not result in vehicle damage are unlikely to cause injury, and
- whiplash trauma is biomechanically comparable with common movements of daily living.
- HOW COMMON IS FACET JOINT PAIN AFTER WHIPLASH?
FROM: SPINE JOURNAL 1996 Whiplash research
Objective: To determine the prevalence of cervical facet joint pain among patients with chronic neck pain and headache (more than 3 months' duration) after whiplash injury.
Methods: Two different local anaesthetics and a placebo injection of normal saline were administered in random order and under double-blindfolded conditions.
Results: Among patients with dominant headache revealed that 50% of the patients had C2-C3 facet joint pain. Overall, the prevalence of cervical facet joint pain was 60%.
Conclusion: Cervical facet joint pain is common among patients with chronic neck pain after whiplash. The
Symptoms of whiplash
abound as anyone in practice will confirm. This research has survived challenge with placebo-controlled investigations and has proven to be of major clinical importance.
- IS THERE A DIFFERENCE IN THE INJURY BETWEEN SURPRISED AND AWARE PEOPLE IN WHIPLASH?
FROM: SPINE JOURNAL 2003 Whiplash research
Human subjects were exposed experimentally to a single whiplash-like perturbation, using aware and surprised subjects.
Objective: To determine how awareness of the presence and timing of a whiplash affects the onset and amplitude of the neck muscle response.
Results:
• Cervical paraspinal amplitudes were 260% larger and angular head accelerations in flexion were 180% larger in surprised subjects than in alerted subjects.
• Surprised subjects exhibited a 25% larger head retraction than aware subjects.
Conclusions: The larger retractions observed in surprised likely produce larger tissue strains and may increase injury potential. Females are more prone to injury.
Excellent text by Dr Larry Nordhoff
Excellent text by Dr Arthur Croft
Return from WHIPLASH RESEARCH to WHIPLASH CHIROPRACTIC
