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Whiplash refers to a soft-tissue injury of the cervical
spine, or neck, caused by a strong, abrupt, back-and- forth movement of the
head, typically caused by an automobile accident, although this type of injury
can also be the result of a sports accident or other trauma. Several studies
suggest that up to 43% of individuals generally suffer from long-term symptoms
following a whiplash injury.
The signs and symptoms for whiplash usually develop within
24 hours of the injury and they most commonly include neck pain and stiffness,
headaches, as well as, tenderness and pain in the shoulders, upper back, or
arms, and tingling or numbness on the arms. Further studies also suggest that of
those individuals whom still experience symptoms after three months of the
injury, almost 90% of the time, they will develop chronic whiplash symptoms. When
the symptoms associated with this type of injury begin to greatly impair an
individual’s physical activities or lifestyles, it’s important for these people
to seek a prompt and accurate diagnosis to determine the presence of a bone
fracture or other tissue damage. Although conventional treatment can be used to
treat whiplash, chiropractic treatment is notably recommended to treat many
automobile accident injuries and the improvement results are quite significant,
according to research.
The authors of a study researched the effectiveness of
chiropractic treatment in 28 individuals who had been previously diagnosed with
chronic whiplash pain and other symptoms. Each person had been referred to a
chiropractor in between a range of 3 months to almost 4 years after their
accident, with an average of 15.5 months. The individuals were assigned to one
of four groups classified as: group A, no symptoms; group B, mild but
irritating symptoms; group C, moderate and intrusive symptoms; and group D,
severe and impairing symptoms. It’s important to note that through the initial
evaluation, 27 of the 28 individuals with chronic whiplash symptoms were placed
in groups C or D.
After following the appropriate chiropractic treatment, 26
of the affected individuals, in other words, 93% of the people with chronic
whiplash symptoms, had improved considerably: 16 individuals had improved by
one symptom group while 10 individuals had improved by two symptom groups. Chiropractic
care is focused on re-aligning any spinal complication that could be causing
pain and other symptoms. For whiplash, a chiropractor often uses spinal
adjustments and manual manipulations to correct cervical spine misalignments in
order to minimize the stress and tension on the surrounding neck muscles. Chiropractic
treatment can also include a set of stretches or exercises to continue
rehabilitating whiplash symptoms.
By Dr. Alex Jimenez
