Understanding the Pathophysiology of Whiplashes

This is quite a buzz term for many people, but in the area of personal injury, particularly in automobile accidents, this is no stranger. This is a very common injury experienced by drivers and passengers of automobiles that have been hit from behind. It is a serious kind of soft tissue injury because of the debilitating effects it can do to the victim.

In medical terms, a whiplash is a neck sprain caused by hyper extension or flexion of the spinal cord, particularly in the cervical, thoracic and lumbar areas. When another vehicle collides from the rear end of your vehicle, an impulsive strain on the vertebral column is caused, resulting to tears or stretches in the ligaments and the spinal cord tissue. What happens is that the external force from the collision causes the head to snap forward then back, creating a force to the spine that can amount to over 500 kilograms in just milliseconds. Since this force is too much for the spine to handle, disk tearing and herniation can instantly occur, although in some cases symptoms may not be felt until days later. It will really depend on the severity of the condition and the position of the passenger that will determine the effect of the whiplash injury in the long run.

Victims may suffer aching pain in the neck and the back, with frequent headaches, dizziness and a stinging sensation to arms and legs similar to being stung by pins and needles. For severe whiplash injuries, effects can be restricted head movement, persistent pain and spondylosis. Physicians may have to administer painkillers or homeopathic methods such as acupuncture to relieve the pain.

Whiplashes can also happen not only from motor collisions, but also from rides in amusement parks like bump cars and roller coasters, sports injuries and from other modes of transportation such as airplanes. Babies often suffer whiplashes too if they are carried improperly, since their nervous system is still underdeveloped, leading to shaken baby syndrome. And a sudden jerk on the head like double-takes can even induce a whiplash.

Today efforts are being made by car manufacturers to offer protection for passengers from whiplashes. Car seats are now being redesigned with head rests and specialized whiplash protection devices by some famous car manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and Toyota. Although the effectiveness of these devices and redesigning of car seats still remain controversial, it has nonetheless been the growing preferred option by many drivers when buying a vehicle.
For more information about Spinal Cord Injury and other personal injury cases, visit our Los Angeles Lawyers site.