WHIPLASH INJURIES: FACT OR FICTION

WHIPLASH INJURIES: FACT OR FICTION

Dr. Thomas C. Schmidt 

It is my intention to provide information on a condition called Whiplash.  In some hospital emergency rooms, medical clinics, chiropractic offices, court rooms, etc. it is more often than not called acceleration/deceleration or hyperextension/hyper flexion trauma.  Whiplash routinely involves injuries to the nerves, muscles, ligaments, discs (known as soft tissues) surrounding the vertebrae of the neck (cervical spine), mid back (thoracic spine) and/or lower back (lumbar spine).  In some cases the brain tissue is injured (concussion).  People involved in a Whiplash injury while operating their motor vehicle may also realize pain or stiffness in their shoulders, wrists, knees and feet.  When people are involved in a car accident they may be aware that they are going to sustain a car accident (vehicular impact) or they may me totally unaware and thus did not brace for the ensuing impact and resultant forces transferred through one vehicle into another and then into their bodies. This is one of the principles of the laws of physics called the transfer of energy.  In the patient who suffers shoulder and wrist symptoms and they were aware that they were going to be involved in a car accident, they instinctively braced their body by pushing forcefully against their steering wheel.  This type of scenario thus exerts the forces from the vehicles through this person’s neck, upper back and through their upper extremities, shoulders and into their wrists.

The clinical syndrome of Whiplash was first described in the medical literature by Dr. Crowe in 1928 and it has since been proven to be a legitimate mechanism of injury to many parts of the body yet this diagnosis is not without great dispute once all of the “players” get involved including but not limited to: emergency rooms, general medical practitioners, medical specialists, chiropractors, physical therapists, insurance companies claims adjustors, insurance companies “independent medical evaluators”, etc.

Over time more research is being established to further understand Whiplash type injuries both involving motor vehicles or from collisions involving sports, falls, slips, etc. This research is concluding that the injuries and resultant suffering may be short term, long term and even cause permanent damage with degenerative disease processes initiated post trauma.  Enter in the litigation scenario and the prospects of people winning monetary awards and the debate now elevates to new levels.  Again, research is being done in and around the litigation process to determine if after the settlement process the injured person’s bodily suffering and symptoms would suddenly clear up.  An early researcher, Dr. McNab studied 266 medico legal cases post settlement and found that 45% of the injured Whiplash victims continued to suffer and exhibit symptoms 2 years after their court settlements.  Another research project, Ebbs et al. studied medico legal car accident cases of Whiplash victims and found that 36 out of 137 patients who were followed after at least 1 year post settlement continued to have neck pain.  Norris and Watt found that 44-90% of patients remained symptomatic 6 months post trauma.

Whiplash is a layman’s term for a mechanism or type of injury that is not going away as this term is firmly embedded now into all aspects of our culture.  Even though this name (Whiplash) doesn’t describe the tissue damaged or exact diagnosis, when this type of forceful injury occurs to a person, they may feel pain, stiffness, dizziness, headache, light headed, etc. either at the moment or after a passing period of time.  Research and advanced diagnostic imaging (X-Ray, MRI, Ultrasound, etc.) are showing that Whiplash type injuries cause soft tissue damage to muscles, ligaments, nerves, discs or brain tissue.  Spinal vertebrae may become twisted out of normal alignment with Whiplash type injuries as well as causing pain or stiffness and setting up a degenerative disease process in this person’s spinal column.  Hard tissue damage (fractures) are less common in Whiplash injuries but never the less are a real possibility if the right forces and angles of force are exerted into the spine and skeletal system.

Over my years of practice, I have witnessed how people’s lives have been changed or altered in a negative way due to Whiplash injuries.  These patients have thus served to motivate me towards post graduate studies on Whiplash and the medico legal aspects related to this type of trauma.  I have been motivated to diagnose and treat these injuries whether the person has recently been involved in a Whiplash or even years ago.  As the old saying goes regarding early intervention “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.   As a Doctor of Chiropractic with training in post graduate Whiplash courses, I have learned to restore proper structure and function to a patient’s spine and skeletal system using treatment techniques called adjustments coupled with high powered cold laser therapy and physiotherapy. I have helped alleviate the pain and stiffness associated with Whiplash injuries while slowing down the degenerative disease process’s that may now be in place post trauma.  If you have suffered a Whiplash injury or you know someone who has, please feel free to contact me, Dr. Thomas C. Schmidt at 651-735-2400 or visit our website at: www.schmidtchiropracticclinic.com