Whiplash is one of the most common injuries from auto accidents. This happens when the force of an impact “whips” the head violently in one direction beyond its normal limits, then violently back in the opposite direction. The result: muscles, tendons, and ligaments supporting the spine can be overstretched or torn. The spinal cord and delicate nerve endings in the neck can be stretched, pinched, and irritated. The soft, cushioning discs occupying the spaces between vertebrae (spinal bones) can herniate (bulge), or even rupture (tear). Symptoms of whiplash may take hours, days, or even weeks to appear.
Common symptoms include:
• Sore or stiff neck
• Headache
• Pain, numbness, or tingling in the back, arms, shoulders, and hands
• Reduced ability to move the head
• Ringing in the ears, dizziness, hearing loss, or blurred vision
Why whiplash may not be a minor injury: Even when the damage to your car is relatively minor, whiplash may have caused spinal damage. All too frequently, lifelong health problems begin as a whiplash injury that was dismissed as minor at the time. Any trauma to your spine can disturb the normal position and motion of the vertebrae, affecting nearby muscles, ligaments, and discs. These are what doctors call vertebral subluxations. Because the vertebrae protect the spinal cord, even a small disturbance to the vertebrae can profoundly affect delicate nerve tissue.
This impairment to the nervous system can cause tissues and organs throughout the body to function poorly. This degenerative chain reaction is called the vertebral subluxation complex. It is an underlying cause of many health problems, and can slowly destroy your good health. Medical doctors are trained to treat life-threatening emergencies that result from accidents, such as bleeding, shock, and broken bones. However they are not trained to recognize the hidden spinal damage leading to the vertebral subluxation complex. Many people leave the emergency room with a hidden health problem that will only grow worse over time. Health conditions seemingly unrelated to the back can often be traced back to nervous system impairment involving the spine.
Look for the continuation of this article in the July issue of the Magazine of Santa Clarita. For more information contact Advanced Healthcare in Stevenson Ranch at 661-799-0777 or Palmdale at 661-273-1101. You can also visit www.chiro4all.com .