Whiplash and Treatment Delay: Does it Matter?
When a person is involved in a car accident, the inevitable question comes up: should
I see a doctor?
In most cases the answer is yes.
But why is this important?
A collision between two vehicles imparts a considerable amount of force on the body and spine. Even in low speed collisions, the forces add up to several times the force of gravity. So what does this mean? It means your body generally cannot resist such large forces without being injured.
These injuries may be minor, such as a muscle strain or more substantial, involving stretching of the disks and ligaments of the spine.
Will these injuries always cause pain right after the collision?
Only if there is severe damage to tissues will you experience immediate pain after a collision. In fact, having instant severe pain is a good indicator that you suffered a severe trauma. But most low speed collisions do not produce this type of instantaneous and intense pain. Instead, the person may feel "shaken up" or a little stiff.
Unfortunately many patients interpret this stiffness as nothing more than a simple muscle strain and do not seek medical or chiropractic attention. Up to two weeks can go by before you start to feel the effects of a whiplash injury. This is why it is important to see a doctor immediately to see if things are truly ok following an accident.
Only a doctor can examine your spine, pressing on different structures and seeing if your movements are fluid, pain-free and symmetrical. You will find it difficult to do this type of examination on yourself. In addition, x-rays may be needed to see the posture and alignment of your cervical spine. If you had radiating pain or symptoms of a brain injury, then an MRI may also be needed to see the soft tissues that x-rays cannot detect.
Without these types of important examinations it is hard to say if you've been injured significantly following an accident. Treatment delay, if you have been injured, will not help to get you back to health quickly. In fact, if you limited your activities and neck movements, this could impair your function down the road. Simply taking pain medications to restore the alignment of your spine will not be enough.
Whiplash and Your Ligaments
Most people who get a whiplash-like injury think it is caused by a problem in their muscles.
It's easy to see why this may be the case since muscle pain following car accidents is so common. Deep pain and even spasm can occur after severe trauma resulting in daily pain and even headaches. Since our 10-12 pound head is attached to our necks, by muscles that go into the shoulder region, whiplash can feel like a muscle pull and taking muscle relaxants seems a reasonable approach.
Although tears of muscle fibers do occur in whiplash, these can heal rather quickly due to the rich blood supply. The ligaments and discs hold the joints of the neck together keeping the nerves from being pressed upon and stretched.
These are the structures that are critically injured during whiplash. The muscles that contract to protect the joints from moving too much are generally less of a problem than when the ligaments are injured. A recent study (BMC Musculoskeletal Disorder 2006;21:103) showed that after whiplash, the strength of the neck ligaments is further reduced. This means that you are more susceptible to getting injured if you previously suffered a trauma.
To detect ligament injuries you can look at MRIs immediately after the trauma. In many cases they can show small tears or the inflammation and swelling that goes with tears of these important structures.
You can also have stress x-rays taken in the positions of forward and backward bending. These types of x-rays can show which ligaments have been traumatized and are allowing the bones of the neck to move too much. When this increased motion is severe, this is called instability. Some newer MRI machines can scan in different positions so that the tears and their motion effects are seen with one test. Some people may find the MRI scanner to be a bit restrictive or claustrophobic. X-rays are usually the most practical and least costly choice.
A thorough examination is needed following whiplash, including these stress x-rays. Neurological tests are also required to see if your nerves have been injured. Our office is always available to consult with you about your health concerns.
Just call at 847-870-7980 to schedule an appointment.
A proper care plan begins with an accurate diagnosis. It's important to know about the condition of your ligaments after a whiplash, it's not just a pulled muscle.
PHONE: 847.870.7980