WHAT IS A WHIPLASH?
A whiplash is an injury to the neck caused by a rapid acceleration/deceleration of the head backward, forward, or side-to-side. Whether a result of an auto accident, sports injury, or your job, neck injuries warrant a thorough check-up. The hidden danger with neck injuries is that underlying problems may take years to develop. Too often people don’t seek treatment until more serious issues develop, like degenerative arthritis in the injured area, to herniated disks. Even after whiplash victims settle their insurance claims, roughly 40%-55% of previous neck injury sufferers report that they still suffer with symptoms two years later. Another 40% have advanced degenerative changes in their cervical spine when compared to uninjured people.
NECK & SPINE INJURY DATA
Statistics & Rear-End Collisions Results on Drivers
- There are 12.5 million car crashes yearly in the U.S. Up to 60% of drivers are symptomatic after six months.
- 2.5 million wrecks are rear end collisions. About 33% of drivers are symptomatic for 2 years.
- Out of the nearly 2 million whiplash injuries reported- 10% become chronically disabled for life.
Source: National Safety Council
WHIPLASH IS AN EPIDEMIC
Neck sprains and strains (Whiplash) are the most frequently reported injuries in auto insurance claims. There are over three million whiplash injuries in the United States annually. In 2002, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that an estimated two thirds of all insurance claimants reported injuries and one in three suffered a neck sprain or strain (Whiplash). In a Swedish study one out of every two people who had neck pain following a motor vehicle accident continued to report pain an disability 17 years later. In Tacoma with a population of 190,000 it is estimated that there are 40 injury accidents reported daily, 100’s more go unreported.
What are symptoms of a whiplash injury?
Auto accidents can result in a number of complex injuries and symptoms. This is due to a variety of factors involved. When evaluating an injured neck, physicians should take into account the beginning & end position of the victim in the car (before & after the collision), the speed of the vehicles before the accident, size of the vehicles involved, the restraints used (air bag, seat belt), pre-existing health conditions of victims, age and gender of the victims.
Uncomplicated cases of whiplash are the result of sprained ligaments in the neck. The muscles naturally spasm as a protective mechanism. Pain from the whiplash may be a stiff neck and may go down one or both arms.
A more severe case of whiplash is indicated by persistent pain that lasts for a month and a half or more. This can indicate that the whiplash more extensively damaged and/or trapped the nerves. Whiplash can also lead to discs rupturing in the neck like a “slipped “disc, ruptured disc or herniated disc in the back
Other symptoms from a car accident may include radiating pain into the shoulder, elbow, wrist or hand, low back pain, headaches and more.
The following list is of the most common whiplash symptoms, as well as their rate of frequency.
If you experience any of these whiplash injury symptoms, play it safe and get a auto injury check-up at our office.
| Neck pain and/or stiffness | 92% |
| Headache | 57% |
| Fatigue | 56% |
| Shoulder pain | 49% |
| Anxiety | 44% |
| Pain between the shoulder blade | 42% |
| Low back pain | 39% |
| Upper limb paresthesia | 30% |
| Sensitivity to noise | 29% |
| Difficulty concentrating | 26% |
| Blurred vision | 21% |
| Irritability | 21% |
| Difficulty swallowing | 16% |
| Dizziness | 15% |
| Forgetfulness | 15% |
| Upper limb pain | 12% |
| Upper limb weakness | 6% |
| Ringing in the ears | 4% |
| Pain in the jaw or face | 4% |
Why choose Discover Life Chiropractic to care for your whiplash or auto-injury?
Discover Life Chiropractic is a chiropractic and whiplash specialty office that offers:
- Chiropractic, in office rehabilitation, and massage therapy on site.
- The most up to date computerized documentation of your injury
- We have been working with auto insurance carriers for over 20 years and know how their system
works. - If you don’t have insurance no worries we take third party cases.
- We assign you your own injury assistant in our office to answer all the questions you will have.
- We can work with your attorney to properly document your care, and to get you the care that you
need for your injuries (in most cases, at not cost to you). - If you need an attorney we can refer you to the best in the area!
- Same day appointments available.
- Friendly, knowledgeable and professional staff
Whiplash Treatment
An article published in the Journal of Orthopedic Medicine in 1999 pointed out the superiority of chiropractic care for patients suffering from long term whiplash.
The authors of the article noted that a previous study had shown that 26 of the 28 patients, or
93 percent, of patients with chronic whiplash benefited from chiropractic care.
In the authors’ own study, they interviewed 100 consecutive chiropractic referrals of patients
with chronic whiplash. Their results also showed that of the 93 patients who remained in
the study, 69 of them of 74 percent, found improvement.
The researchers concluded their opening comments with the statement, “The results from this study provide further evidence that chiropractic is an effective treatment for chronic whiplash symptoms.”
Dr Hendrickson can be contacted for a Whiplash evaluation and whiplash treatment at
(253)472-4400.
