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What Are Whiplash Injuries

             Injuries resulting from Car accidents, truck accidents, bus accidents, and other vehicular accidents are usually musculoskeletal injury.  The musculoskeletal system consists of the muscles, bones, and related body structure.  This is what keeps the organs in place and what provides for mobility.  The musculoskeletal system results in injury more often than the organs, because part of its function is to protect the organs.

            The neck is made up of bones, ligaments, movable joints, and muscle and enters the head and connects the spinal cord to the brain.  The head is connected to the body through the neck by seven vertebrae.  In between the vertebrae there are soft discs labeled as C1-C2 all the way to    C-6-C7, the location of these soft discs is determined by the number.  The C1-C2 disc is the one closest to the head and the C6-C7 is the one closes to the shoulder blades.  These discs act as semi elastic shock observers and are called intervertebral discs, each one of these discs has an elastic ligament around it and it is called the annulus fibrosus.  The center of the disc is called the nucleus pulposus.  The nucleus pulposus can protrude or rupture from the annulus fibrosus and can cause pressure on the cervical spinal cord or the nerve roots. 

            There are eight cervical nerve roots that come out from the spinal cord in the neck area.  Some of these nerves go from the neck through the shoulder and into the arm.  The nerves supply sensory perception and muscle innervation in the arm. 

            The neck is supported by ligaments and which are semi-elastic and join the bones of the neck.  These ligaments allow movement of the neck within certain limitations.  The ligaments are then reinforced by muscles in supporting the neck and head. 

            A whiplash injury is usually caused when there is a car or truck accident.  Whiplash describes what happens to the head and neck and is not the actual injury itself.  More often than not a whiplash occurs when a car is rear-ended while stopped and sometimes when slowing down for traffic conditions.   The term whiplash probably came about because there is a violent snapping of the head and neck much like that of a whip. 

            When a person is rear ended the head goes back pulling on the neck and surrounding tissue and then forward.  A seat belt may hold the body down, but not the head.  Head rests reduce the degree and amount of injury, but even so there is some distance between the head and the head rest and in some instances the head rest may not be properly positioned.  Other factors that affect the degree and severity of injury is the seating position and where or not the individual is looking forward or in a different location.

            Whiplash can cause all types of injuries including fracture of the bodies of the vertebrae; dislocation of the vertebra; herniated or ruptured interverbral disc, sometimes called slipped disc; muscular strain in the form of stretching, tearing of muscle, and contusions.  A typical medical examination will show cervical strain and sprain.  

            Over stretching of the muscle or ligaments is called strain. If the muscle or ligament actually tears, it is called a sprain. style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  If the ligament does not tear, but the bone moves the term sprain or avulsion fracture is used.   More often than not whip lash injury will not cause any immediate symptoms.  What you are likely to experience right away is a headache.  As blood and other fluids rush to the injured neck area the increase pressure cause a headache in most persons. Neck pain may not appear for hours and perhaps not until the next day.