Articles from Chiro-Trust.org have been shared 875,427 times as of March 19, 2019!

ChiroTrust

The ChiroTrust Pledge

You are here: Home / Whiplash / What Leads to Chronic Whiplash?

What Leads to Chronic Whiplash?

by

Whiplash associated disorder (WAD) is a very common injury that can occur in a variety of ways, but it’s most commonly associated with motor vehicle collisions. The symptoms associated with WAD have been classified as follows:

  • WAD I: Pain, stiffness, or tenderness of the neck as the only complaint with no physical exam findings (full range of motion and no muscle guarding or tenderness on examination).
  • WAD II: Pain, stiffness, or tenderness of the neck with soft tissue injury signs loss of range of motion (ROM) and/or point tenderness of the neck (e.g., a sprain/strain neck injury).
  • WAD III: Pain, stiffness, or tenderness of the neck along with neurological signs sensory deficits, motor weakness, and/or decreased or absent deep tendon reflexes.
  • WAD IV: Pain, stiffness, or tenderness of the neck along with dislocation or fracture with or without spinal cord injury.
  • Other symptoms including deafness, dizziness, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), headache, memory loss, dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), and jaw pain can be present in all grades (WAD I-IV).

About 50% of WAD patients continue to report neck pain one year after the injury occurred. These long-term symptoms and signs can vary from mild to completely disabling.

There are prognostic factors that may help predict who is at risk of developing long-term, chronic (lasting longer than three months) WAD, which include the following (partial list): women more than men, age over 50 years, lower educational attainment, those who had pre-injury neck pain and/or headaches, the higher the WAD grade (comparing WAD I-III), those reporting more frequent or severe post-injury symptoms with greater pain intensity, poor coping at six weeks post-injury, depression, feeling helpless regarding pain control, fear of movement or activity, catastrophizing, anxiety, and high frequency pre-injury healthcare utilization.

There is evidence that WAD-injured individuals can develop widespread body pain or fibromyalgia in the year following their injury. This occurs more frequently in women and in those with poor prior health, greater initial symptoms (including pain intensity), and more symptoms of depression.

Among available treatment options, manual therapies such as mobilization and manipulation—the primary form of treatment delivered by doctors of chiropractic—often receive the highest ratings from patients in regards to overall satisfaction with care.

Thousands of Doctors of Chiropractic across the United States and Canada have taken "The ChiroTrust Pledge": “To the best of my ability, I agree to provide my patients convenient, affordable, and mainstream Chiropractic care. I will not use unnecessary long-term treatment plans and/or therapies.”

To locate a Doctor of Chiropractic who has taken The ChiroTrust Pledge, google "The ChiroTrust Pledge" and the name of a town in quotes.

(example: “ChiroTrust Pledge” “Olympia, WA”)

Related Articles

 The Whiplash Syndrome The term "whiplash" was coined by Dr. Harold Crowe in 1928 during an interview on car collision-related neck injuries but he reportedly "…regretted it later." The term "whiplash" quickly became a household word and relates to a sudden movement of the head producing a neck sprain. It is now accepted that not only forward/backward movements during mo...
Whiplash: Can It Be Prevented? Whiplash, also called cervical acceleration-deceleration disorder (CAD), often occurs as a result of automobile collisions. So, the question is raised, "…can it be prevented?" To answer this question, we must first consider the obvious facts about minimizing your distractions when you drive: intoxication; engaged conversation (especially if you’re ...
Whiplash Injury, Neck Pain AND Spinal Manipulation The understanding of whiplash biomechanics was forever changed in 1997. Researchers from Yale University School of Medicine performed a series of rear-end collisions on human cadavers while imaging their biomechanics with cineradiography (1). The results established that during the earliest phase of collision mechanics, the cervical spine forms an ...
Whiplash! Do I Need an Attorney? When you hear the word, "whiplash," it brings to mind many different thoughts: motor vehicle collision (MVC), neck pain, headaches, concussion, jaw pain, litigation, car damage estimates, possibly needing a new car, medical costs, doctor’s appointments, sleepless nights, and more. Questions typically asked when a MVC occurs include the following: 1...