After being involved in an automobile accident, the irritating
pain and stiffness in the neck which affects many individuals at the time of
the collision, could have longer lasting effects than many anticipate. Whiplash
is the most frequent result of a car crash, although it may occur during a
variety of other incidents. Nevertheless, this common neck injury can lead to
significant complications on the surrounding, complex tissues of the neck, if
left untreated.
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Whiplash occurs when the muscles and ligaments of the neck stretch
further than their average range of motion. While symptoms of neck injury may
not occur instantly, it’s essential to keep a close watch over any physical changes
which may result following the accident and seek medical attention as soon as
possible to properly diagnose the presence of any other spinal complications.
Although whiplash is considered a relatively mild condition, it can cause
long-term pain and discomfort.
During an auto collision, the sudden force of the impact
causes an individual’s head to abruptly move back-and-forth in any direction,
depending on the type of car crash. The rapid flexion and extension of the neck
pulls and extends the muscles, straining the soft tissues around the cervical
spine, occasionally causing them to tear.
Weakened Ligaments after Whiplash
After several years of research, it’s evident that the
spinal ligaments can be stretched and/or torn during an automobile accident. Prior
research has shown that the anterior longitudinal ligaments, the transverse
ligaments, and the facet capsules, found within the neck, can be damaged or injured
even in minor crashes.
Whiplash Research & Results
New research from Yale University pursued to understand the
exact nature of whiplash-type injuries to determine its effect on the human
body. Researchers conducted the study by evaluating six cadaver spines which
had previously been exposed to simulated rear-end collisions. The spines were
then carefully examined to closely analyze the damage of each of the individual
ligaments. The researchers then compared the state of the whiplash spinal
ligaments to the formerly collected data of normal, non-injured spines.
The authors of the research distinguished a variety of
characteristics from the whiplash-exposed ligaments apart from those of the
control ligaments. Ultimately, the authors found that the ligaments exposed to
damage or injury from whiplash were in fact significantly weaker than the control
specimens. Throughout the study, researchers observed considerable decreases in
ligament strength following whiplash, supporting the ligament-injury hypothesis
of whiplash syndrome. According to the study, evidence suggests that the
weakening of the ligaments resulting from auto injuries may furthermore lead to
altered joint motion, leading to compression of the joint tissues. This
compression is frequently what leads to inflammation, pain, and accelerated
degeneration of the joint tissue, resulting in osteoarthritis of the neck and
other complications.
This study is the first to show that the individual ligaments
of the spine are weakened after a whiplash-type injury. After being involved in
an automobile accident, the debilitating and impairing symptoms associated with
neck injury can alter an individual’s lifestyle, especially if the condition is
left untreated and the symptoms worsen.
Chiropractic care is an effective, alternative treatment
option commonly used to treat whiplash-associated disorders. Once diagnosed
with neck injury, the individual will usually receive a series of spinal
adjustments and manual manipulations, together with a set of appropriate
stretches and exercises, focusing to rehabilitate and restore the original
state of the injured structures within the neck. Time and patience is essential
towards achieving a complete recovery from a variety of automobile injuries
through chiropractic care.
Chiropractic Care & CrossFit for Overall Health: A Client’s Story
Dr. Alex Jimenez, DC, has helped many individuals
experiencing injuries, conditions or simply looking to improve their overall
health. Ever since participating in the Push-as-Rx ®™ system in Dr. Jimenez’s
clinic, Bill Skov has felt much more capable with his everyday activities and
has learned to enjoy life much more. Bill Skov has lost weight and gained
strength and stamina. Push as Rx means a lot to Mr. Skov and the relationships
he's had with all the trainers, together with their support, has encouraged him
to push through with a healthy lifestyle.
Dr. Alex Jimenez’s clinic and PUSH-as-Rx ®™ system is
leading the field with laser focus supporting our youth sport programs.
The PUSH-as-Rx ®™ System is a sport specific athletic program
designed by a strength-agility coach and physiology doctor with a combined 40
years of experience working with extreme athletes. At its core, the program is
the multidisciplinary study of reactive agility, body mechanics and extreme motion
dynamics. Through continuous and detailed assessments of the athletes in motion
and while under direct supervised stress loads, a clear quantitative picture of
body dynamics emerges. Exposure to the biomechanical vulnerabilities are
presented to our team. Immediately, we adjust our methods for our
athletes in order to optimize performance. This highly adaptive system
with continual dynamic adjustments has helped many of our athletes come
back faster, stronger, and ready post injury while safely minimizing recovery
times. Results demonstrate clear improved agility, speed, decreased reaction
time with greatly improved postural-torque mechanics. PUSH-as-Rx
®™ offers specialized extreme performance enhancements to our athletes no
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By Dr. Alex Jimenez