Whiplash and Auto Accidents.

Neck injuries caused by a rapid movement of the head backward, forward, or side to side, is referred to as "Whiplash." Whether a result of a car accident, sport, or work injury, whiplash or other neck injuries warrant a thorough chiropractic check-up. The biggest danger is that the symptoms can take years to develop. Too often people don't seek treatment until more serious complications develop. Even after whiplash victims settle their insurance claims, between 39%-56% report they still suffer with symptoms two years later. But they don't report it because they are not feeling any symptoms at the time.

In the past, a typical whiplash injury where no bones were broken, was hard to document. Soft tissue injuries do not show up on x-ray and insurance companies would deny coverage. Literally adding insult to injury, the patient suffering all too real pain was considered to be a fraud, a liar, or at best a hypochondriac. New imaging devices (CAT Scans, Magnetic Imaging, and Ultra-Sound) may now show soft tissue injury and now insurance companies cover most whiplash injuries.

When no bones are broken  and the head doesn't strike the windshield, typical symptoms are as follows: 92% complain of neck pain, which typically starts two hours up to two days after the accident/injury. This is often the result of tightened muscles that react to either muscle tears or excessive movement of joints from ligament damage. The muscles tighten in an effort to splint and support the head, limiting the excessive movement.

About 57% of those suffering from whiplash complain of headaches. The pain may be on one side or both, on again off again or constant, in one spot or more generalized. These types of headaches, like the neck pain, are often the result of tightened, tensed muscles trying to keep the head stable and, like tension headaches, they are often felt behind the eyes.

Shoulder pain often described as pain radiating down the back of the neck into the shoulder blade area, may also be the result of tensed muscles, accounting for 49% of injuries caused by whiplash.

Muscle tears are often described as burning pain, prickling or tingling. More severe disc damage may cause sharp pain with certain movements, with or without radiation into the arms, hand and fingers, which are relieved by holding your hand over your head.

Why Chiropractic?

Chiropractic treatment is one of the only proven effective forms of care in the treatment chronic whiplash related injuries.  Through the use of carefully controlled pressures directed at the spine and various physical therapy modalities, combined with that of exercise and nutrition, whiplash sufferers have a better outcome. This is also known as chiropractic rehabilitation, and is the unique domain of the chiropractic physician.

Studies have demonstrated that without proper movement within the fixated spinal joints, osteoarthritis of the spine and nerve root complications may be accelerated.  If you have suffered any type of whiplash injury please Dr. Craig French of Chiropractic Wellness at Brier Creek a call at 919-596-2900.

Mobility!!

Imagine waking up one morning with a frozen shoulder where you couldn’t move your upper arm more than a few inches in any direction. How much would that impact your ability to do your job? How much would that affect your ability to drive your car or even to dress yourself? How much would that affect your ability to concentrate on anything other than your shoulder? Obviously, if your shoulder did not move correctly, it would have a dramatic impact on your life. Well, the same is true with movement in every part of your body. If things aren’t moving the way they are supposed to move, it will have a negative impact on your ability to function at work, take care of the demands of everyday life, and even your ability to concentrate.

Many patients with severe low back pain report that their pain came on suddenly when they did something as simple as bend down to pet their cat, put on their socks, or pick up the newspaper. Just about everyone would agree that a person’s body should be able to handle such simple movements. So what has happened?

In every one of these cases, the joints of the patient’s body were “all locked up” -- they were barely moving at all. When the joints in one area of the body do not move the way they should, other areas of the body are forced to move more in order to compensate. This creates a significant stress on those areas that have to pick up the slack, and it soon leads to pain and inflammation. At the same time, the areas that don’t have normal movement will slowly worsen as the muscles continue to tighten, the joints stick together, and the ligaments and tendons shorten. This leaves the body in a very unstable condition; if left unchecked, this process will continue until the body can hardly move at all. That is how a person comes to suffer flare-ups of pain at the slightest provocation.

Most of us have seen people who have lost most of their normal mobility: they look like bodies have been starched stiff whenever they try to move around. This is especially prevalent among the elderly. Contrary to popular belief, however, this is not an inevitable effect of aging; rather it is the inevitable effect of not maintaining the body’s mobility through exercise, healthy alignment, and body mechanics. There are people in their 60s, 70s, or even older, who are stronger and more flexible than the average person in their 30s, simply because they keep themselves exercising.

Maintaining mobility is critical in order to live free from pain and disability. Maintaining good mobility is not difficult, but it does not happen on its own. Just as in developing a good posture, it is necessary that you perform specific exercises and stretches to keep your muscles, ligaments, and tendons flexible and healthy. In addition, it is necessary that all of the joints in your body are kept moving correctly as well. Although this can be achieved to a great degree through stretching, most people also find routine chiropractic adjustments to be very beneficial.

Chiropractic and Headaches

Headaches plague millions of people each year.  They are a major cause of lost work days, canceled events, and… canceled romance.

Headaches that are reoccurring (chronic) are the most bothersome and debilitating.  For women, it can be associated with the menstrual period.  Changes in estrogen levels can somehow affect vasoconstriction (blood vessel contraction) leading to headaches.

Migraine headaches are a different animal.  As most migraine sufferers know, these headaches can be preceded by an “aura”, a feeling of light headedness, and they can last more than a day.   Fear of light (photophobia) can be a factor.  And many migraine sufferers report nausea during the event.
The medical literature is full of research studies on migraines, but the causation remains a mystery.  Some medical researches attribute it to abnormal electrical signals firing in the brain, while others attribute it to hormonal abnormalities.  The typical migraine sufferer is usually prescribed strong medications like Imitrex.  Some patients find that chiropractic adjustments for migraines help reduce the frequency and strength of their headaches.

Tension headaches are perhaps the most common type of headache.  These headaches are associated with a sensation of a tight band around the head, and base of neck.  Tension headaches can be caused by previous trauma to the neck, as in a whiplash from a car accident that resulted in a shifting of one or several neck vertebrae.  The misaligned vertebrae can cause nerves to fire inappropriately, causing the muscles around the head to contract.

Chiropractic adjustments to the cervical spine ((neck)) can help alleviate and even eliminate chronic headaches.  If you have a history of injury to your neck, or perhaps know you have neck issues (neck pain, poor posture, reduced flexibility), you might find success with chiropractic treatment for headaches.

Dr. Craig French is the Doctor of Chiropractic Wellness at Brier Creek in the RTP, Durham, Raleigh area. 
To schedule an evaluation call             919-596-2900      

Whiplash Symptoms and Treatment!

Here is what the Mayo Clinic has to say about Whiplash:

Whiplash is a neck injury that can occur during rear-end automobile collisions, when your head suddenly moves backward and then forward — similar to the motion of someone cracking a whip. These extreme motions push your neck muscles and ligaments beyond their normal range of motion.

Whiplash injuries can be mild or severe. Treatment typically begins with over-the-counter pain relievers and ice applied to the painful neck muscles. If pain persists, prescription medications and physical therapy may be helpful.

Most people recover from whiplash in just a few weeks, but some people with whiplash injuries develop chronic conditions that can be extremely painful and disabling.

My Take: Sure, many people that suffer a whiplash injury to the neck or low back feel better after a short period of time...but have they really recovered from the injury? 

I have learned from many years of treating neck and back pain from whiplash trauma...that it's best not to leave musculoskeletal symptoms related to a car accident or other whiplash cause untreated.

What happens is the bones of the spine get knocked out of place and stay there...even though you feel better. In addition...the muscles, ligaments, and tendons that were injured from the whiplash, do not heal properly.

They end up being weaker, less flexible, more pain sensitive, and prone to re-injury.

In order for the bones of the spine (and spinal discs) and the surrounding soft tissues to heal properly the right conditions need to be in place such as proper position and motion. Allowing the injured parts to heal on their own sets the stage for chronic neck or back pain down the road.

More often than not, patients that present to Chiropractic Wellness at Brier Creek with chronic neck pain and headaches, have a history of whiplash injury from an auto accident.

It's sure a lot easier to treat a whiplash right after it happens than to treat a chronic back, neck pain, or shoulder pain syndrome years later.

Here's the deal...If you or someone you know has been involved in a car accident...recently or in the past...you should get checked out by a chiropractor. Don't wait until the neck or back pain becomes chronic and hard to treat...do it NOW!

Dr. Craig French is the Doctor of Chiropractic Wellness at Brier Creek in the RTP area. To schedule a complimentary whiplash evaluation call 919-596-2900 and mention this blog post.