Chiropractic is best for Whiplash!​​​​​​​

Whiplash is the term for neck injury or injury to the cervical vertebrae which occurs as a ​​​​​​​result of acceleration or deceleration. This type of injury normally occurs during an automobile accident. Whiplash can cause great pain to the victim. Chiropractic care is a good treatment option for such injuries.

Before the publication of Woodward et al, Gargan and Bannister in 1994 published their discovery on the rate of discovery of patients suffering from Whiplash injuries. They discovered in their studies that patients with whiplash injuries for three months are 90% more likely to remain in that condition. No conventional medical treatment could save them from their conditions. However, chiropractic physicians have recorded success in the treatment of these of these patients.

The above publication of Woodward showed that 26 people out of the 28 patients examined retrospectively and treated with chiropractic care improved significantly from their whiplash injury. This number represents 93% of the entire patients examined. The chiropractic interventions utilized in this study include cryotherapy, PNF and spinal manipulation. A greater percentage of those 28 people used in the study have been undergoing treatment with physiotherapy, NSAIDs and soft collars for an average time period of 15.5 months.

A number of literatures today contain numerous studies that proved the effectiveness of chiropractic care in the treatment of pain resulting from whiplash. One of such studies was published in Injury in 1996 by Woodward and his colleagues who were from Department of Orthopedic Surgery of Bristol, England.

This study proved that chiropractic care is a good treatment option for patients that sustained whiplash injury in automobile accidents. Whiplash symptoms such as back pain, interscapular pain, neck pain and extremity pain associated with paresthesias can all be managed with chiropractic care. Positive results are normally recorded when these symptoms are treated with chiropractic care.

Whiplash injury as suggested by literature is also associated with cervical disc injuries. Another study on chiropractic care for disc herniations proved that patients with whiplash recorded significant clinical improvement. In the study, there was a decrease in the resolution or size of the disc herniation in most of the cases as the repeat MRI imaging results indicated.

Khan et al also carried out a similar study on whiplash injured people suffering from cervical dysfunction and pain. The result of their study was published in the Journal of Orthopedic Medicine. The patients used for the study were grouped based on the symptoms they have or the nature of their problems. The greater percentage of the people examined in each group recorded a positive outcome.

Though this study did not include patients that have back injuries, TMJ injuries and extremity injuries, it has confirmed the evidence of the study of Woodward et al that chiropractic care could be utilized in the treatment of whiplash-injured patients. Based on the studies, one can conclude that a chiropractic doctor should give treatment for whiplash injury and other related injuries.