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After being involved in an automobile accident, whiplash is
the most frequent type of injury commonly diagnosed by medical specialists. In
the majority of whiplash cases, individuals describe experienced a wide variety
of symptoms, in addition to neck pain, headaches, back pain and all around
widespread pain. The common symptoms associated with whiplash are most often misdiagnosed
and, as a result, the auto injury is generally not treated at the source but,
recent studies have found a possible reason behind the chronic symptoms of
whiplash.
Whiplash, is a term used to describe a rapid, sudden
back-and-forth movement of the head as a result of an unmeasurable force,
usually from an auto collision. During the trauma from whiplash, the tissues
surrounding the neck become overly-stretched, causing irritation and leading to
inflammation and other complications around the cervical spine. Although the
most common symptoms for this type of injury appear to be mostly spinal or
muscular complications, the nervous system is also largely affected by
whiplash.
Over the past couple of years, various studies have found
that whiplash injuries can cause hyper excitability of the central nervous
system, otherwise known as the peripheral nerves. A team of researchers
conducted a meta-analysis and systematic review of 27 different trials, analyzing
the connection between whiplash and the central nervous system dysfunction. Hyper
excitability refers to an excessive reaction to stimuli, in this case, the
peripheral nerves are altered, often presenting a variety of symptoms leading
to other peripheral nerve hyperexcitability disorder syndromes and further
complications. The researchers concluded that there is compelling evidence
pointing to central hyperexcitability in individuals who’ve suffered from
chronic whiplash. In fact, these changes in the central nervous system could
potentially make people with whiplash type injuries more sensitive to other
types of pain.
If you’ve experienced chronic whiplash symptoms after an
automobile accident however, chiropractic care can help relieve and restore the
regular function of the structures surrounding your cervical spine, including
central nervous system damage or injury. Through chiropractic adjustments and
manual manipulation, a chiropractor can gradually treat your whiplash injury.
Because spinal adjustments can soothe oversensitive nerves, chiropractic care
can be a potentially effective treatment for whiplash to effectively ease pain
and nerve hyperexcitability.
By Dr. Alex Jimenez
