Whiplash is a term coined in the 1920s. It describes neck injuries caused by sudden, violent movements of the head. In recent years Whiplash neck injury has come to be associated with car accidents. Whiplash can result from injuries incurred during other activities. These include amusement park rides, horse riding, sports injuries, falls and many other ways in which forces act on the neck.
The adult human head weighs upwards of 10 lbs. It is delicately balanced on a column of bones, the vertebra, between it and the shoulders. Think of the head as a bowling ball balanced on a few Lego bricks. Each Lego brick is attached to the next by tough fibers, the ligaments. The muscles surrounding the neck act like tent ropes to both stabilize the head and control movement. There is a vertical hole in the Lego bricks through which run the nerves of the spinal column connecting communication between the head and the rest of the body. Blood vessels run alongside. It is a beautifully designed system which lasts a lifetime until it is injured.
The Mechanism that Causes a Whiplash Neck Injury
We know what happens as over 1 million of these injuries occur every year in North America. In the common “rear-ender” the force of the moving car is transferred to the stationary one in front. The stationary car, with it occupants, is moved rapidly forwards. The force first moves the occupants heads backwards as it is transferred through the seat. Then the forward movement takes over. The body is fixed to the seat by the restraining belt and the unrestrained head moves forward in a whiplash action.
Simple. However this is not a gentle movement. The forward acceleration of the head on its delicate balance can be as much as 7G and in some cases much more. This creates a large kinetic energy. Just picture the bowling ball suddenly accelerating then instantly stopping.
The forward movement of the head is restrained at the end of its forward motion and experiences a rapid deceleration. The effect on the brain is not unlike being hit by a blow from a giant boxer. The cerebral cortex can become bruised and the nerves in the deep white matter experience damage by stretching and tearing. The sum of the damage from microscopic tearing throughout the area to measurable trauma is whiplash neck injury. The signs and symptoms can occur immediately or after a period of time. the more rapidly the signs and symptoms occur the greater the risk of serious damage.
Treatment after a Whiplash Neck Injury
These symptoms are the result of pain, inflammation, oxidative stress and tissue damage. The faster these factors can be resolves the more rapid and complete the healing.
Some people are incapacitated for life. Others experience a combination of symptoms and chronic pain.