Monday, September 26, 2016

What is Whiplash and Why Do I Have Neck Pain?

        Recently, I was at a trauma-oriented conference and the speaker presented a research paper from The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery; published research entitled Whiplash Injuries: Their Long-Term Prognosis.

What is Whiplash?

        Whiplash is a powerful force.  It hurls your head backwards and forwards, or to the side, resulting in an injury to the neck.  A car accident, sports injury, or simply a push from behind all can cause a whiplash injury.  Symptoms of a whiplash injury don't always appear right away - sometimes it takes a few weeks before symptoms (stiff necks, headaches, tingling in the arms or legs) appear.
        The symptoms of whiplash often seen are: headaches, neck pain and stiffness, dizziness, and tingling sensations into the arms and shoulders.  Often whiplash victims cannot bend their heads to the side or forward and backward as well as they should.

        In this study the author reviewed 43 patients who had sustained soft-tissue injuries to the neck, as a result of a rear-end collision, after a time of 10 years.  Of these 21 males and 22 females, only 12% recovered completely while residual symptoms were present in 28% and severe in 12%.  The males' average age was 53 while the females' average was 44.  88% of these individuals never recover from their injuries.  Pain in the neck and lower back were the most common complaint and the older the patient, the worse the prognosis.

        Chiropractors can provide a complete examination, x-rays, and incorporate any necessary physical therapies with the chiropractic adjustments and exercise that have helped millions of people over the years.

Thatcher Chiropractic is located at 3535 American Drive in Colorado Springs, Colorado 80917 near the intersection at Austin Bluffs Parkway and Academy Boulevard.  For more information you can visit our website at thatcherchiropractic.com.  If you have additional questions or wish to schedule an appointment, please feel free to contact us by phone.  You can reach us at (719) 574-3700.

No comments:

Post a Comment