“I thought my neck was broken.”

“I felt like I had been hit in the back of the neck with a sledge hammer.”

“I thought the top of my head was coming off.”

These were noted descriptions of symptoms following motor vehicle collisions analyzed by Dr. Ruth Jackson, MD. In her study, “The Positive Findings in Neck Injuries” (American Journal of Orthopedics, August-September, 1964), Jackson analyzed 5,000 patients with neck disorders, and found the following:

• 90% of neck disorders are caused by trauma.
• Of the trauma cases, 85% are caused by motor vehicle collisions.
• 77% of those with disorders of the cervical spine are caused by motor vehicle collisions.

In cases of whiplash caused by head-on collisions, the joints of the neck are forced beyond their normal passive range of motion, which can result in strains, sprains, hemorrhages and inflammation, dislocations or even fractures.

The good thing is that the body has an amazing, natural ability to respond to injury with healing power. However, the body’s healing process is not perfect. For instance, in the case of a sprain, the “healing of sprained ligamentous structures takes place by the formation of scar tissue which is less elastic and less functional than normal ligamentous tissue,” notes Jackson. Scar tissue means restricted mobility. “Sprains result, therefore, in some degree of permanent injury.”

In the years since this study, vehicle collisions and whiplash injuries have only increased. But systems of care, in particular chiropractic, have dramatically helped people suffering from whiplash injuries.

Chiropractic adjustments not only realign vertebrae to relieve pain and support the central nervous system. They also help the body maintain its range of motion during the healing process. After a neck injury, when the body is laying down scar tissue to help stabilize and heal the spine, the chiropractor realigns the cervical bones. These bones also function as levers, directly pulling on tendons and ligaments and keeping them from forming an amorphous mass of scar tissue that can shorten muscles and restrict range of motion.

In other words, chiropractic adjustments maintain body mobility following injury and help the body better heal itself. And that’s good news indeed.

Yours in health,

Evergreen Chiropractic

1666 E Olive Way

Seattle, WA 98102

(206) 323-1666

www.evergreenchiropractic.com

Reference: Ruth Jackson, MD. The Positive Findings in Neck Injuries. American Journal of Orthopedics. August-September, 1964, pp. 178-187