WHIPLASH TRAUMA
Permanent debilitating effects can occur in neck trauma sufferers if the injured structures are not correctly identified and effectively treated. Our approach to treatment involves a strategic and dynamic sequence of treatments, combining shockwave therapy, neuromuscular therapy, and magnetic therapy. These modern technologies are designed to address the specific structures injured with the most effective therapy for that structure, whether it is a vertebral disc, fractured vertebra, peripheral nerve, ligament and/or muscle.
If you have ever suffered some sort of head or neck trauma in the past, you know first hand how life-altering it can be, and how finding a solution can potentially be elusive.
Muscles of the neck are certainly injured in most neck trauma incidents but are NOT the main structures requiring attention first. The ligaments which hold the bones of the neck in place, and the discs which separate these bones, must be given priority in our opinion.
The neck is comprised of small bones called vertebrae which have a disc between them providing shock absorption and movement. Ligaments are extremely tough and durable tissues which are attached to the bones providing rigidity to hold the internal structure of the neck in position.
The neck is significantly smaller in size than the head that it supports, making the neck extremely susceptible to injury with any head and/or neck trauma. Any direct trauma to any side of the head causes direct pressures on the neck of the same side. Whiplash incidents cause a whipping action on the head which leads to injury to the muscles and ligaments on multiple aspects of the neck.
Ligaments in the neck are identical to those in the foot. If you have ever had a severe ankle sprain, you know how long it takes to recover, how long the bruising and swelling persists, and how it affects your ability to walk normally.
Ligament issues in the neck can be very serious and extremely debilitating to recover from, if not treated correctly. The fibres of a ligament can be severely stretched causing severe and unrelenting pain, inflammation and immobility in the neck.
Ligaments are loaded with millions of receptor cells whose job is to inform the spinal cord and brain of things such as tension, movement, pressure, temperature, and pain. These receptor cells are the most important of all cells in the neck’s ligaments, and muscles, and are the key to solving any neck trauma situations.
| Abnormal receptor cell activity will result in severe and unrelenting pain, enormously contractured muscles, placing direct debilitating pressure on the neck’s vertebrae and spinal cord. |
Treatment:
We must conduct a thorough assessment to determine what structures in the neck are involved, what condition they are in at the time we conduct the assessment, and determine the mechanism of injury. Our lead therapist’s keen sense of touch due to a vision impairment answers these questions. Diagnostic imaging such as x-ray, CAT scan (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, do not always see some of the dysfunctions caused by neck trauma, but can be felt with a keen sense of touch.
Magnetic therapy is typically the first intervention for most neck trauma sufferers. It has the ability to affect all of the structures in the neck including the bones of the vertebrae. It provides the following effects:
- Speeds up all cellular activity including those of bone, nerve, ligaments, and muscle resulting in increased healing time
rapid healing of bone fractures in the neck - Pumps painful swelling out of the injured tissues, reducing pain
- Increases oxygen levels in all cells which also speeds up the healing process
- Encourages the healing of damaged receptor cells
- Encourages the production of new receptor cells to replace those which died
At some point during magnetic therapy treatments, shockwave therapy will be introduced. The goal of shockwave therapy is:
- To begin flushing any remaining inflammation from within the muscles and ligaments, thus reducing the presence of painful chemical irritants to the receptor cells.
- To begin breaking the pain-spasm cycle which is always present in neck trauma situations.
- To flush out those chemicals responsible for attracting painful inflammatory components so that the reduction of inflammation is permanent and will not return.
- To break apart the hardened dysfunctions within ligaments and muscles, allowing fresh blood and its healing components to bathe the injured tissues, which were compromised because of the dysfunctions.
- To reset the nervous system so that it settles down and stops thinking that all receptor activity is pain.
The final therapy which will be introduced at some point in the treatments is that of neuromuscular therapy. This is a specialized type of manual therapy which helps reset the nervous systems hold on muscles. The muscles are the last structures to be addressed in any neck trauma situation because they are products of all the other dysfunctions listed above. Addressing muscles at the wrong time will simply waste your money, and cause you needless pain and anxiety.
The number of treatments required will vary immensely and can’t be determined until we conduct a thorough assessment of the condition.
It is impossible to describe our use of any technology or techniques as they will vary depending on each individual case. What we do for one person’s neck trauma will likely vary from the next one, as their situations will undoubtedly be different.
Let us give you back the life you once had.