Whiplash

Personal Injury due to Motor Vehicle Accident / Worker’s Compensation

Whiplash is a non-medical term describing a range of injuries to the neck caused by or related to a sudden distortion of the neck associated with extension. The mechanism of a whiplash injury can be described as cervical acceleration-deceleration.

Whiplash is commonly associated with motor vehicle accidents, usually when the vehicle has been hit in the rear. However, the injury can be sustained in many other ways, including falls from stools, bicycles or horses. Before the invention of cars, whiplash injuries were called “railroad spine” as noted mostly during train collisions. After the invention of cars, the number of whiplash-related injuries have risen sharply due to an increase in rear-end motor vehicle collisions.

Symptoms reported by sufferers include; pain and aching to the neck and back, referred pain to the shoulders, sensory disturbance (such as pins and needles) to the arms & legs, headaches and decreased range of motion. Symptoms can appear directly after the injury, but often are not felt until days afterwards. The most common areas of the spine affected by whiplash are the neck, and the mid-back.

Early chiropractic adjustments to the injured vertebrae are critical in both long and short term care of whiplash injuries. Short term chiropractic care focuses on reducing vertebral misalignments, reducing acute inflammation, restoring range of motion and overall, reduction in pain. Adjustments allow for vertebrae and soft tissues to heal in their proper position, thus preventing further joint deterioration increasing the possibility of degenerative disc disease, arthritis, stenosis and nerve compression in the future.