Do you know what speed can cause whiplash?

Every 6 months, my car insurance renews. Incidentally, I recently had the pleasure of speaking with my insurance agent who informed me that, “due to the amount of accidents in the state of Florida and claims paid, insurance for the entire state of Florida has increased.” These accidents, of course, lead to the injuries that can occur from a motor vehicle accident (or MVA for short).

One of the most commonly sustained injuries is whiplash.  The mechanism of whiplash is as follows: impact occurs, leading to straightening of thoracic spine (also known as vertical ramping), which causes the neck to extend back (hyperextension period) followed by movement of the neck forward (hyperflexion). Now, let’s define whiplash. It is a hyperextension injury to the neck caused by acceleration/deceleration movement that can damage soft tissue and ligaments in the neck.  80% of rear-impact collisions are low-speed rear impact injury crashes that are between 6-12 mph. You might be surprised to learn that, even at this speed, one could experience the effects of whiplash. 

The Task Force on Neck Pain and its Associated Disorders (Carroll et al., 2008) noted that 50% of people who experience whiplash report neck pain symptoms one year after the initial injury.  The Quebec Task Force on Whiplash-Associated Disorders (Spitzer et al., 1995) reports that there is no efficacy of soft cervical collars and that use of soft collars 72 hours after initial injury can lead to prolonged disability. Further, the literature did not support treatments such as ice, heat, ultrasound, massage or supports. However, this does not mean that they are not effective treatments; rather, the research is limited.  Many people who suffer from whiplash related injuries seek help from a chiropractic office and research indicates that patients with chronic whiplash symptoms respond well to chiropractic care.

As the accident rate in Florida continues to rise along with our car insurance (insert eye rolling emoji, am I right?!), make sure to do your part to be alert on the roadways (don’t Pokemon and drive!) and if you do sustain an injury, take the appropriate measures to ensure you do not suffer from whiplash symptoms for years to come. 

https://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www....
Neck%20Pain%20Task%20Force%20Report%20-%20Haldeman%20et%20al.pdf

http://www.whiplashprevention.org/SiteCollectionDocuments/Research%20Articles/Medical%20-
%20Whiplash/GuidelinesDiagnosingWhiplash.pdf

https://www.researchgate.net/p...
_treatment_of_chronic_'whiplash'_injuries/links/00b49527963c63b0f4000000.pd