Skraitz Chiropractic

The school year is upon us again! There is always so much to do- taking the kids to school, after school activities, to the movies, football and soccer games. Everyone’s schedules become very hectic and there is often little time between appointments. We always seem to be pressed for time and just a little bit more stressed.

The traffic is congested on the road and you have to come to a stop at a traffic light. You’re able to stop easily but the person behind you was attempting to text message their friend on their cell phone and…BAM it happens. You’re involved in a motor vehicle collision. You feel your car launch forward and your head goes backwards. You get out of the car and you’re shaken up but you’re glad there are no broken bones or cuts. You may feel mild tension in your neck or mid back, maybe even a slight headache but overall you don’t feel too bad…yet. You check out your car. The bumper may be dented or the paint is just scraped.

You exchange information with the other driver and you’re on your way. Later that evening you notice a little more tightening of your neck and take some over the counter medication for pain.

The next day you wake up and wonder, “Who beat me up while I was asleep?” Your neck is still sore and it hurts to move, your arms ache, you’re sore across the top of the shoulders and between the shoulder blades. You also notice a more intense headache and even your lower back aches. You’re wondering what’s wrong and could this be the result of the fender bender?

 

You have whiplash. How could that be? It wasn’t that bad of an impact?

Every year there are 3 million new whiplash injuries in the United States alone and that number continues to grow in spite of the advanced protection mechanisms in cars (seat belts, airbags, reinforcements). More people are killed each month in motor vehicle accidents than were lost of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Motor vehicle collisions are also the leading cause of premature death in children. 

How many times have you heard of a friend or family member that was involved in a car accident and had gone to the emergency room where they were examined, x-rayed, and told that no bones were broken? They are told they may be stiff or sore for a few days, given anti-inflammatories and muscle relaxers and told to go home and take it easy. Often times these individuals continue to experience pain and symptoms for weeks, months, or even years after the accident. They are diagnosed with a “whiplash” injury and told their pain is from damage to the soft tissues (muscles, ligaments, nerves and tendons) and are told that their pain will eventually go away on its own.

In this article I will address the mechanism of a soft tissue injury as well as the sources of pain in a whiplash injury. 

When you are “rear ended” by another vehicle, your vehicle is “accelerated” or pushed forward very quickly. This results in your neck being hyperextended as your head is pushed back into the seat and over the head restraint.  Milli-seconds later the head and neck rebounds off the seat causing the neck to flex forward to the chest. These movements cause straining to the muscles of the anterior and posterior neck as well as spraining to the supporting ligaments of the cervical spine.

When the whiplash injury of the cervical spine occurs the injury to the soft tissues takes place in a matter of milli-seconds therefore in most instances the occupant does not have time to react and brace for the impact.  This sudden movement  and jarring can misalign the spine and damaged the “soft tissues.”

The “soft tissue” spinal structures that are usually damaged in a motor vehicle collision are the disc, ligaments, vertebral facet joints, nerves and end plates of the vertebra.

When the neck is hyperextended and hyper flexed in the whiplash injury often times the pain can be result of pinched nerves, torn muscles or ligaments, bulged or ruptured discs and possible fractures to the bone.  All of the aforementioned require a proper diagnosis and a specific treatment methodology to stabilize the injury and reduce the pain.  This will result in shorter episodes of pain, less disability and less probability of future impairments.

Dr. Skraitz has extensive post-graduate training in the proper diagnosis and treatment of motor vehicle collision injuries.  He is a member of the San Diego Spine Research Institute, and holds advance certification in the treatment of whiplash.  Dr Skraitz also participates in live human crash studies at the San Diego Spine Research Institute.

If you have been involved in a motor vehicle collision, you should be examined thoroughly by a physician expertly trained in the diagnosis and treatment of whiplash injuries.

Dr. Skraitz can be reached at 724-941-2100 or by email at skraitzchiropractic@yahoo.com.