The Car Accident And Whip Lash Injury

Whiplash, a painful neck injury, is usually the result of a car accident but, at one time, it was known as ‘railway spine’, because of injuries received in train accidents. Around 1928, the term, ‘whiplash injury’, was first used. It is a general term for damage to both the bone structure as well as the muscle and soft tissue of the neck. Whiplash associated disorder is a broader term used to describe a more severe, chronic condition.

Anyone who has ever had a whiplash knows the pain that comes with it. For a while, if a person was involved in a car accident and then claimed symptoms of a whiplash injury, he was often regarded with suspicion. Some even went so far as to suggest that complainers were seeking generous insurance settlements. There were sneers that complainants were not suffering from a real injury but were just complaining for monetary gain.

In the past, if there were no broken bones, an actual injury was hard to document as soft tissue injuries did not show up on an x-ray. As a result, insurance companies would deny all coverage. When a patient was really suffering, this just added insult to injury. It didn’t help that their misery was often scoffed at. It was fakery and the patient was a liar, a fraud, or, at the very least, a raving hypochondriac. Some people, who had genuine whiplash injuries and obvious symptoms from car accidents, actually refused to seek medical treatment. They dreaded the raised eyebrows and skepticism that often greeted the symptoms of whiplash. Some said they would rather deal with their pain than the suspicious attitude that was encountered in hospital emergency rooms.

Clinical studies were eventually undertaken to investigate the whiplash issue. The conclusions were, that while there would always be the unscrupulous few who were trying to exploit an insurance company, most claims were legitimate and a whiplash caused pain and some long term damage. It was vindication for the injured; a whiplash was a real injury with real symptoms.

Consider How It Happens

Most whiplash injuries occur as a result of a riding in a car which collides with another vehicle or is hit from behind. The head is suddenly jerked forward and then back, stretching the ligaments and muscles, which can be torn. In a rear end collision, the victim’s car is pushed forward and then, if he has his foot on the brake or his car slams into the one in front of him, there’s another sudden jolt, snapping his body forward while his head snaps back, stretching and damaging the muscles and cervical spine a second time. If the victim is not wearing a seatbelt, he may hit the steering wheel with force or strike the windshield. The neck is most vulnerable to injury in this type of accident but the muscles of the upper back may also be damaged. Studies show that a whiplash injury can be the result of an accident, even at a speed of 15 mph.

Injuries

• The cervical discs, the soft cushion between each vertebrae can bulge, tear or rupture.
• The cervical vertebrae can be popped and forced out of position
• The spinal cord and nerve roots can be stretched and irritated.
• The muscles and ligaments that support the neck can be stretched or torn.
• Inflammation of soft tissues develops as a result of nerve root compression
• Muscles of the upper back can be over-stretched.

Car accidents are the most common cause of whip lash injuries but a sports injury, such as a skiing accident, can also cause these painful symptoms.

Brought to you by Pembroke Pines Spinal Decompression

Common Causes Of Back Pain

Back pain is one of the most common ailments today; in fact, four out of five people in the US will experience it at least once in their life. That number may even increase in the future due to the aging of our population and the increasing amount of obesity. Back pain is one of the most common reasons people go to the doctor and is second only to the common cold as a cause for missing work.

Common Causes

The cause often determines the type of pain experienced. Most acute back pain is caused by an injury or trauma such as a car accident, a sports injury, lifting or straining at work or around the house. Sprains and strains from sudden twisting movements, improper lifting or a fall can all result in back pain.

Symptoms

• Pain in the lumbar region (the lower back) is the most common and it may appear suddenly as a sharp, stabbing pain that causes extreme discomfort.
• A dull, persistent, nagging back ache may appear after hours of working in the garden or shoveling snow.
• Pain that radiates down the front, side or back of leg.
• It may be accompanied by tingling, numbness, and weakness of the affected limb.
• Back pain may worsen with activity but may also be aggravated by sitting for prolonged periods, such as on a long plane flight or car trip.
• There may also be an inability to stand erect and walking may become difficult.

Some physicians say chronic back pain is discomfort that persists three months or more. It is often progressive and the cause can be difficult to determine. Acute back pain is usually of shorter duration and often occurs after an injury or trauma.

The back is an intricate structure made up of bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and discs, which are the tough cartilage pads that cushion the vertebrae, which make up the spine. Back pain results from problems with any of these component parts.

Physical Conditions That May Cause Back Pain

• Arthritis in the spine can cause pressure on the nerve roots or cause narrowing of the spinal canal and pressure on the spinal cord.
• Spondylolisthesis occurs when one or more vertebra slip forward, out of place, causing pressure on nerves, creating back pain.
• Herniated or bulging disc is a intervertebral disc that is being compressed and pushed out of its position between the vertebrae. This makes pressure on the sciatic nerve or other nerve roots.
• Scoliosis is an abnormal curvature of the spine to one side.
• Spinal Stenosis is a narrowing of the foramen, the opening in each vertebrae thrugh which the spinal cord runs. Narrowing causes pressure on the cord, resulting in pain.
• Degenerative Disc Disease occurs when the intervertebral discs become compressed, flatten and allow pressure on the roots of spinal nerves.
• Osteoporosis results in brittle bones and compression fractures of the vertebrae.
• Fibromyalgia is characterized by pain and tenderness over trigger points, one of which is in the lower back.
• Pregnancy causes back discomfort and sciatica type pain.

Less Common Conditions That Can Cause Back Pain

• Endometriosis is a condition in which endometrium tissue grows outside the uterus on other organs, often causing low back pain.
• Kidney stones or kidney infections often cause severe back pain.
• Cauda Equina Syndrome is a serious neurological problem due to pressure from a disc on the lower portion of the spinal cord and spinal nerve roots.
• Cancer of the spine causes severe back pain.
• Bone infection in the spine causes pain.
• Stress has been blamed for some episodes of both acute and chronic back pain.
  

Many episodes of back pain can be avoided by using proper body mechanics and, often, simple home treatment and time will see a back heal within a few weeks. Treatment is varied but based on common sense. Those whose pain is due to a more serious injury or physical condition will find there are many methods of treatment and steps that can be taken to avoid further episodes. Surgery is usually needed only in the most serious cases.

(Brought to you by Pembroke Pines Spinal Decompression)