By Dr. Lori McMillian
What Is Whiplash?
Whiplash is not a disease but a description of how an injury occurred. The spine, usually the head and neck, was unexpectedly thrown very quickly in one direction and then rebounded in the opposite direction. The head was “whipped around” on the neck usually front to back, but it can also happen from a side-to-side motion of the neck as well.
Where’s The Damage?
The vast majority of whiplash sufferers have misaligned spinal bones (cervical vertebrae) and nerve, joint, ligament, tendon,muscle and disc stress, irritation or damage. Chiropractors havea special name to describe this type of condition—a subluxation,the most common source of pain and discomfort from whiplash injuries.
What Is A Subluxation?
A whiplash injury is a dramatic example of one type of subluxation(nerve interference)—the kind produced by accident or trauma. Subluxations may also be caused by emotional stress and tension that slowly build up day-to-day—micro-trauma. Other causes of subluxations are poor posture, bad sleeping positions, weak muscles, poor diet and even dental work.
Whiplash Symptoms
Immediately after the accident you may feel some neck soreness or stiffness, perhaps accompanied by a headache. Later, pain and/or numbness, tingling or a pins-and-needles feeling may develop between the shoulder blades, in the arm, hand and/or fingers. Depending on the nerves affected, you may have ear ringing, dizziness, hearing loss, eye pain, blurred vision, sensitivity to light, nasal problems, low back pain and even internal organ problems.
Psychological Changes
Whiplash sufferers sometimes have memory, thinking, vision and psychological problems even if there is no head or brain injury. How could that be? Research has revealed that a neck subluxation can cause decreased blood flow to the brain!
Concussion
A concussion may accompany a whiplash. In a concussion the brain is thrown around inside the skull—similar to scrambling an egg without damaging the shell. Concussion symptoms may include headache, restlessness, irritability, insomnia, moodiness, depression and emotional ‘jitters’ that may last for hours, days or months after the accident. Auto accidents are a common cause of whiplash injuries but not the only cause.
Chiropractic Care For Whiplash Victims
Chiropractic effectiveness with whiplash sufferers has long been observed and reported in professional
journals. In one study, 41 male and female patients (ages 17-67)with whiplash injuries were placed under chiropractic care. Their pain levels were significantly lower after 20 office visits. Chiropractic’s superiority was noted in a study published in a major medical journal when, after the authors interviewed 93 patients, they concluded: “Whiplash injuries are common. Chiropractic is the only proven effective treatment in chronic cases.”
In Conclusion, any accident may cause subluxations—structural misalignments and irritated or damaged nerves. If you’ve ever been involved in an accident, whiplash or otherwise, no matter how long ago, please see your doctor of chiropractic to ensure that you have really healed as completely as possible. Trauma or injury from many years ago may be responsible for seemingly unrelated health problems suffered today.
Dr. McMillian is a Chiropractic Physician at Mission Square Chiropractic. Schedule you appointment today and call 334-649-6300.
