Injury Chiropractic:

Whiplash and Concussion Injuries

Whiplash injury

Whiplash type injuries, acceleration-deceleration injuries (CAD), are prevalent in motor vehicle collisions, high impact sports, slip and falls and other traumas that cause a forceful movement of the head and neck. Whiplash injury created when any direction of forces causes quick movement of the head in one direction or the other. This sudden rapid movement of the head and neck affects supporting connective tissue of the neck region which can cause chronic health problems.

Concussion injury

A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by a bump, blow, or jolt

to the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back

and forth. This sudden movement can cause the brain to bounce around or twist in

the skull, creating chemical changes in the brain and sometimes stretching and

damaging brain cells. A concussion often describes as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI)

because it is not life-threatening, but the effects of a concussion can be severe. While concussion injuries are common, an estimated prevalence 3.8 million in the United States, and are still considered one of the least understood injuries in sports medicine and neuroscience communities.

What is the difference between a concussion and whiplash?

Based on the anatomical association between head and neck, it is reasonable to expect that any significant blunt impact and or acceleration/ deceleration of the head will also result in some damage in neck potentially resulting in strain injuries to the soft tissues and joints of the cervical spine.

Studies examining whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) have shown that as little as 4.5g (‘g’ represent gravity) of neck acceleration force can cause mild strain injury to the tissues of the cervical spine and the signs and symptoms reported appear very similar to those experienced in mTBI. 

Signs and symptoms of Concussion     

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Headache

Pressure in head

Neck pain

Nausea/vomiting

Dizziness

Blurred vision

Balance problems

Sensitivity to light

Sensitivity to noise

Feeling slowed down

Feeling like ‘in a fog’

‘Don’t feel right’

Difficulty concentrating

Difficulty remembering

Fatigue or low energy

Confusion

Drowsiness

Trouble falling asleep

More emotional

Irritable

Sadness

Nervous or anxious

Signs and symptom of WAD

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Neck/shoulder pain

Reduced/painful neck movements

Headache

Reduced/painful jaw movements

Numbness, tingling or pain in arm or hand

Numbness, tingling or pain in leg or foot

Dizziness/unsteadiness

Nausea/vomiting

Difficulty swallowing

Ringing in ears

Memory problems

Problems concentrating

Vision problems

Lower back pain

There is a high chance of overlap in the possible symptoms of these two different injuries. If an individual sustains an injury where the head impacted by force, likely, the cervical spine has also reached their injury threshold of 4.5g.

At Vitalpoint Chiropractic - your injury chiropractic care-  we are committed to getting your family as healthy as possible. Contact us today for more information about how we can help you and your child to recovery from your injury.

REFERENCE

C.M. Marchall et al, The role of the cervical spine in post-concussion syndrome

What Is a Concussion? | HEADS UP | CDC Injury Center.

Post-Concussion Syndrome vs. Whiplash Associated Disorder. Vital head and spine