One of the problems with whiplash diagnosis for many years was the lack of objective evidence of injury. Recent studies, however, have given us new tools that we can use to pinpoint organic lesions in many patients.

Now, two new studies show that neck muscles show objective, anatomical changes after whiplash injury.

The first study set out to see if there were detectable changes in the neck muscles of whiplash patients. Previous studies have shown that patients with spinal pain also show fatty infiltration of the muscles on MRI. The authors of this study studied 79 female whiplash patients and 34 healthy control subjects, all between the ages of 18-45. Each subject had a neck MRI focused on the cervical spine muscles.

Read the rest of the article on one our chiropractic website client sites: Dr. Charles Ferrante, DC

Chiropractors can include our entire database of articles on their websites through our chiropractic website service, ChiroHosting.com.

Over the last few years, the medical literature has begun to examine the effectiveness of chiropractic and the science behind spinal manipulation. We’ve created a new blog for the purpose of keeping folks up-to-date with the latest findings on chiropractic.

A new blog on the science behind the practice of chiropractic.

Dizziness is reported in many patients after an auto injury. Some of the possible causes of dizziness direct brain injury, injury to the cervical spine, and damage to the blood vessels of the neck and head.

This study suggests that dizziness after whiplash may be related to damage to the postural control system.

Tinnitus has been reported in many studies after whiplash injury. This study discusses cases reports and suggests the anatomy of tinnitus after an auto accident.

We’ve just published some more articles from our archives on whiplash, brain injury, and chiropractic.

Whiplash can be difficult to understand and diagnose simply because there is a wide range of symptoms associated with injuries from rear end collisions. It can be confusing to some doctors why a patient might have back pain and dizziness, for instance.

Why are whiplash injuries so complex? Because most of the injuries from rear end collisions are of the tissues of the spine. The spine is a very sophisticated structure that consists of bones, ligaments, nerves, blood vessels, tendons, and muscles. And since injury can occur to any of these structures, the symptoms that result can vary widely.

For instance, if the ligaments of the spine are injured, the patient may have pain and tenderness in the spine. If the the inflammation of the ligaments is not treated, it may affect the nerves of the spine, which can result in referred pain in other parts of the body–like the arm or shoulder. If blood vessels are injured, the patient may experience dizziness or headaches.

It’s critical when being treated for whiplash that the doctor performs a thorough and careful history and examination. A proper diagnosis will help your physician develop an effective treatment plan that will help get you back on the road to recovery.

See our listing of Virginia Beach, VA Chiropractors.

Video is a great way to educate patients about whiplash. Because these types of injuries are poorly understood by most laypeople, animation can effectively demonstrate the anatomy of auto injuries.

We have some useful videos for patient or attorney education:

A Tale of Two Crashes uses live crash test footage to show how violent a rear-end collision can be.

Recovering from Auto Injuries demonstrates what happens to the cervical spine during a crash and how ligament injury can occur from even a “minor” collision.

Understanding Low Velocity Whiplash Biomechanics is best for professionals. It’s 43 minutes long, and goes into great detail about the biomechanics of whiplash and the various injury mechanisms.

And now you can include all of these videos on your chiropractic website with our InjuryTV service!

Our newest chiropractic client, Dr. Leslie Holcombe of Arlington and Alexandria, VA has her new site up and running. Visit her site at Jefferson Spine Center.