Michael Melton - Nov 24th, 2010
If you've ever been in a rear-impact collision, you know your body can certainly take a beating! Many people in accidents such as these report feeling fine initially, and upon waking the next morning, they realize just how stiff or sore they really are. You may have incurred whiplash as well.
Whiplash is simply an abrupt forcing of your neck beyond its normal range of motion. This results in painful inflammation of the ligaments, tendons and muscles. Left untreated, you may end up with long term neck issues such as vertebral fusion and increased degeneration. The sooner you seek treatment and reduce the inflammation, the better the long-term results.
Obviously, if you experience dizziness, blurry vision, severe headache or nausea, you should seek emergency medical care as soon as possible. These symptoms can indicate a head injury even if your signs or symptoms seemed normal at the scene of the accident.
A recent study showed that there could be other, more serious, consequences of rear- impact collisions. Although whiplash is not usually considered a serious situation, esophageal injuries in fatal rear-impact collisions were observed in a small percentage of accidents when serious damage to the organs at the front of the neck was discovered. Clinicians need to be observant of this potential damage and were advised, based on the study, to watch for the following symptoms: chest pain, mid-thoracic pain, discomfort in the neck and throat, respiratory distress, or hoarseness.
The patient was treated over six weeks with 11 visits. Treatment consisted of manipulation and specific exercises. The authors found:
"Her pain decreased from 9/10 to 2/10 by the end of treatment and remained improved at 1/10 at the 6-month follow-up. Her Copenhagen Neck Functional Disability Scale decreased from 23/30 to 4/30 by the 11th visit. In addition, she demonstrated clinically significant increases in cervical active range of motion and normal somatosensation."
Uhrenholt L, Freeman MD, Jurik AG, et al. Esophageal injury in fatal rear-impact collisions. Forensic Science International. 2010, October 5.
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