You may have wondered, “If I get hurt in a car accident, who should I go to for treatment of my whiplash problem?”  This can be quite a challenge as you have many choices available in the healthcare system ranging from drug-related approaches from anti-inflammatory over-the-counter types all the way to potentially addicting narcotic medications.  On the other side of the fence, there are nutritional based products such as vitamins and herbs as well as “alternative” or “complementary” forms of treatment such as chiropractic, exercise, and meditation, with many others in between.  Trying to figure out which approach or perhaps combined approaches would best serve your needs is truly challenging.  To help answer this question, one study reported the superiority of chiropractic management for patients with chronic whiplash, as well as which type of chronic whiplash patients responded best to the care.  The research paper begins with the comment from a leading orthopedic medical journal stating, “Conventional [meaning medical] treatment of patients with whiplash symptoms is disappointing.”  In the study, 93 patients were divided into three groups consisting of:

• Group 1: Patients with a “coat-hanger” pain distribution (neck and upper shoulders) and loss of neck range of motion (ROM), but no neurological deficits;
• Group 2: Patients with neurological problems (arm/hand numbness and/or weakness) plus neck pain and ROM loss); and,
• Group 3: Patients who reported severe neck pain but had normal neck ROM and no neurological losses.

The average time from injury to first treatment was 12 months and an average of 19 treatments over a 4 month time frame was utilized.  The patients were graded on a 4-point scale that described their symptoms before and after treatment.  Grade A patients were pain free;  Grade B patients reported their pain as a “nuisance;”  Grade C patients had partial activity limitations due to pain; and  Grade D patients were disabled.

Here are the results:

• Group 1: 72% reported improvement as follows: 24% were asymptomatic, 24% improved by 2 grades, 24% by 1 grade, and 28% reported no improvement.
• Group 2: 94% reported improvement as follows: 38% were asymptomatic, 43% improved by 2 grades, 13% by 1 grade, and 6% had no improvement.
• Group 3: 27% reported improvement as follows: 0% were asymptomatic, 9% improved by 2 grades, 18% by 1 grade, 64% showed no improvement, and 9% got worse.

This study is very important as it illustrates how effective chiropractic care is for patients who have sustained a motor vehicle crash with a resulting whiplash injury.  It’s important to note the type of patient presentation that responded best to care had neurological complaints and associated abnormal neck range of motion.  This differs from other non-chiropractic studies where it is reported that patients with neurological dysfunction responded poorly when compared to a group similar to the Group A patient here (neck/shoulder pain, reduced neck ROM, and with normal neurological function).

Call the Idaho Injury Experts today to set up your free no-obligation consultation. Don’t wait! You can get medical treatment at no cost to you!

As a Meridian Chiropractor, I see a lot of patients who have suffered from whiplash injuries.  One of the most common frustrations that people often have when seeing a chiropractor is why the process can sometimes take a while.  This is understandable when you consider that patience isn’t an American forte.  In addition to this it seems that impatience is only reinforced when you look at all the “quick fixes” that are often sold to the public.  Injections, pills or surgeries are often presented as magic bullet cures but more often than not these merely mask symptoms and don’t provide any sort of long lasting solution.  The time it takes to heal isn’t just a “chiropractic” thing, its a “science” thing.  People need to understand that true tissue healing  can at times be a slow process and it can often be hindered by things we do or fail to do, medications we take, and even foods we eat.  There are 3 primary phases of tissue healing.

The 3 Phases of Tissue Healing

Phase 1-Acute Infammatory Phase:  Immediately following an injury the body produces special cells that target the site of injury and begin preparing that area for the healing process.  It is this inflammatory response that causes pain, redness and swelling.  This is the bodies way of protecting itself.  Unfortunately the body doesn’t have a very good way of ratcheting the inflammatory response level according to the extent of injury.  The response is usually pretty overwhelming.  A large part of the swelling is also due to damage of blood and lymph vessels at the site of injury.  The reason ice is typically recommended at the onset of an acute injury is because it helps to control much of the swelling.

Phase 2-Repair Phase:  This is the process just after the inflammatory phase where the body begins to lay down repair cells that will be transformed into new healthy tissue.  Unfortunately these cells can often result in the development of scar tissue if the injury is not properly managed from the onset of injury.  It is critical for the body to get optimal amounts of vitamins and minerals to assist in providing the essential nutrients needed for tissue healing.  It is also critical that you immediately see a trusted health care professional who will begin you on an actual treatment plan rather than simply “waiting it out”.  This phase can last anywhere from 72 hours to 6 weeks depending upon the extent of injury.

Phase 3-Remodeling Phase:  Once these repair cells have settled into place they will begin to remodel.  This process is largely determined by the types and direction of stresses placed on them.  This is exactly why rehabilitative exercises are so important to help correctly remodel these tissues.  This process can last anywhere from 3 weeks all the way to 2 years depending again upon the extent and area of injury.

As you can see here the repair process is anything but quick but what the public needs to understand is that the time it takes to truly heal from injuries can be greatly reduced if injuries are managed properly from the beginning.  As a Meridian Chiropractor I have seen times when patients have immediately sought out care for their injuries and in these instances the prognosis is greatly improved.  But I have also seen patients who have waited to get proper care and often times these patients suffer delays and setbacks in their care and their overall prognosis is not as good.

If you have been injured in an auto accident and are looking for help, Dr. Woolner is a Meridian Chiropractor and has advanced training in the proper management of auto injuries.  You can contact him here.