Whiplash – Cervical Spine Injury

Cervical Spine Injury: Symptoms

People who have whiplash usually have cervical spine injury symptoms experience muscle stiffness and pain in their neck. Depending on how severe the injury is, other cervical spine injury symptoms may include:

• - Tenderness in the shoulders and the back of the neck
• - Swelling in the neck is often present with whiplash
• - Muscle spasms in the shoulder, and in the back and front of the neck
• - Pain when the head is rotated, or when the neck is flexed or extended
• - Tightness in the jaw, trouble chewing is sometimes present with cervical spine injury symptoms
• - Headaches, trouble concentrating or thinking, fatigue, insomnia
• - In severe cases, whiplash can also cause ringing in the ears, disturbances in vision and other cervical spine injury symptoms of nerve irritation

Normal cervical spine injury symptoms identified with whiplash may include:

• - neck pain and firmness
• - headaches
• - shoulder pain and firmness
• - dizziness
• - exhaustion
• - jaw pain (temporomandibular joint indications)
• - arm pain or weakness
• - blurred vision
• - ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
• - back pain

Patients with extreme whiplash injuries may go into depression and social seclusion because of their cervical spine injury symptoms.

Diagnostics Procedures

Following an accident involving the head or neck, a person is often taken for a medical examination. The doctor performs an examination to see if there are any cervical spine injury symptoms other than a whiplash, that needs immediate treatment. Based on the examination and symptoms, a collar may be placed around the neck for support. X-rays of the neck may be taken to evaluate for injuries that are more severe than whiplash. It is important to make certain there are no life-threatening injuries to the head, neck or spine.

If the X-ray findings are normal but the whiplash pain continues, the cervical collar might be kept in place and the patient seen again by the doctor in a few days. X-rays may be repeated to check for any changes. If the doctor thinks there may be injuries in the soft tissues, dynamic X-rays may be obtained, with the head tilted backward and forward. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study may also be recommended to rule out any injuries other than whiplash, that could not be detected on standard X-ray films.

Your specialist will usually get some information about the damage, for example, how it happened, where you feel pain, and whether the pain is dull, shooting, or sharp. They may likewise do a physical exam to check your scope of movement and search for territories of delicacy and your cervical spine injury symptoms.

Your specialist may arrange an X-ray to guarantee your pain isn't associated with whatever other kinds of damage or degenerative illness, for example, joint pain.

Different tests, for example, CT sweeps and MRI will enable your specialist to evaluate any harm or aggravation in the delicate tissues, spinal string, or nerves. Certain imaging contemplates, for example, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) or positron emission tomography (PET scan), might be useful, particularly when there might be brain damage. These tests will help limit and measure the degree of damage to the brain or different zones.

Examination

Amid the exam, your specialist should feel and move your head, neck, and arms. He or she will likewise request that you move and perform basic tasks. This examination enables your specialist to decide:

• - The scope of movement in your neck and shoulders
• - The level of movement that causes pain or an expansion in torment
• - Fragility in the neck, shoulders or back
• - Reflexes, quality, and sensation in your appendages

Imaging tests

Your specialist will likely arrange at least one imaging tests to decide out different conditions that could be causing or adding to neck pain. These incorporate the accompanying tests:

• X-rays of the neck taken from different points can recognize cracks, disengagements or joint pain.
• Computer Tomography (CT) scan is a specific X-ray innovation that can deliver numerous cross-sectional pictures of bone and uncover points of interest of conceivable bone damage.
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is an innovation that utilizations radio waves and an attractive field to create a point by point 3-D pictures. Notwithstanding bone wounds, MRI sweeps can identify some delicate tissue wounds, for example, harm to the spinal cord, plates or tendons.

Cervical Spine Injury: Treatment

Care at Home

If you have been involved in an accident or have suffered an injury to your head or neck, contact your physician to make sure something more serious than whiplash has not occurred. If there is no evidence of nerve involvement, care at home may be appropriate. The goal of cervical spine injury treatment is to decrease the painful symptoms caused by the strain. Symptoms can be relieved by:

• Cold applications: For the first 48 to 72 hours, use ice or cold pack on your neck to relieve the pain and reduce swelling. Apply for about 20 minutes every 1-2 hours.
• Rest: Limit movement of your neck and head until the muscle tension and pain of whiplash are gone, then start gentle stretches. Avoid any heavy lifting or strenuous activities
• Medications: Take over-the-counter anti-inflammatory analgesics such as ibuprofen or naproxen if tolerated (ask your doctor) or acetaminophen

Medical treatment

Depending on the severity of the injury, medical cervical spine injury treatment varies. If the neck has been severely injured and the spinal cord or vertebrae are involved, surgery may be needed. If the injuries are limited to soft tissues such as tendons, ligaments, and muscles, cervical spine injury treatment is often directed at relieving the symptoms. In this case, cervical spine injury treatment may include:

• - Medications for pain: prescription or over-the-counter
• - For severe pain, narcotic pain relievers may be needed
• - Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) will help reduce inflammation and reduce pain
• - Muscle relaxants are sometimes prescribed to help relax muscles and relieve the muscle spasms caused by whiplash
• - Cervical collars are sometimes worn for a brief time, but these can lead to muscle weakness so their use is limited to a short time
• - Ice or cold packs can relieve the pain of whiplash. Apply cold pack/ice to the neck for 20 minutes every 1-2 hours for the first 48-72 hours
• - Limit movement of the neck until muscle stiffness and pain subside
• - Avoid any lifting or strenuous activity
• - Physical therapy may be recommended for cervical spine injury treatment with interventions like ultrasound, electrical stimulation, a range of motion or muscle strengthening exercises

Physical Therapy

The tissue damage and clinical signs and side effects of cervical spine injuries are dealt with during the intense period of therapy and treatment. The objectives of this stage are:

• - Lessen overall pain and controlling irritation
• - Enhance neuromuscular cervical spine postural control
• - Keep the advancement of any solid decay of the cervical spine muscle and postural muscles at bay
• - Ensure that essential tissues are mending

Restorative exercises during the intense period of recovery usually include the following:

• - Rest
• - Non-steroidal calming drugs (NSAIDs)
• - Non-intrusive treatment methods
• - Surgical treatment methods

In the event that no neurologic history or deficiency is present in a patient with a cervical spine injury, the patient should use ice packs for 15-20 minutes every 1-2 hours or have an ice rub for 5-10 minutes every 1-2 hours during the early treatment of the injury. This treatment helps with muscle spasms, as well as relieving pain and advancing vasoconstriction.

Alternative medicine

Whiplash is sometimes treated with nontraditional cervical spine injury treatment such as:

• Acupuncture: This therapy may be able to relieve the pain of whiplash by inserting a very fine needle at specific locations on your body. Research has been unable to prove that acupuncture as a cervical spine injury treatment definitely relieves chronic pain caused by neck strains.
• Chiropractic: In some cases, chiropractic can work as well as physical therapy for cervical spine injury treatment. Using manipulation of the spine along with exercise is more beneficial.
• Massage: If the pain of whiplash persists for more than a few weeks it may help to knead the muscles in your neck. This is usually performed more easily if the muscles are first relaxed with the heat of a hot bath or shower, or with warm moist towels.
• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS): This is a device that sends a mild electrical current through the skin to treat the pain of whiplash. It may relieve some kinds of pain by triggering the body to release its natural painkillers, called endorphins, or it may interfere with how the body sends pain signals. TENS works for chronic whiplash pain only when used in combination with exercise.

Prevention

The best way to deal with whiplash is to avoid it:

• - When driving or riding in a car, always use your seat belt and make sure your vehicle is equipped with an airbag
• - When driving or riding in a car, adjust your headrest to make sure it is positioned to prevent your head from snapping backward and causing whiplash in case of an accident
• - Use properly-fitting safety equipment when participating in sporting activities
• - When on amusement park rides, follow all safety instructions to avoid whiplash
• - Monitor the activities of children to prevent falls and serious injuries

Related topics: Cervical Radiculopathy, Cervical Osteochondrosis.