Auto Accident Injury Rehabilitation
45% of the American population with chronic neck pain attributes it to an MVC (motor vehicle collision).
Freeman MD, Croft AC, Rossignol AM, Centeno CJ, Elkins WL. Chronic neck pain and whiplash: a case-control study of the relationship between acute whiplash injuries and chronic neck pain. Pain Res Manag. 2006;11(2):79–83.
Auto Accident Injury Rehabilitation
Did you know that approximately 50% of motor vehicle crash (MVC) victims almost never fully recover? Here at Pensacola Spinal Centers, we do our best to prescribe and administer the most appropriate, customized treatments to give you and your body the best chance to fully heal. From the initial examination with digital x-rays to full spinal rehabilitation, we are here for you and your family.
We also work with other professionals, including nurse practitioners, pain management physicians, and neurosurgeons, to make sure you’re covered no matter how severe the injury.
Have an attorney? No problem. We collaborate with dozens of attorneys from around the area and across the country to ensure you get the care you need.
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Advanced Whiplash Training
Dr. Burkhardt and Dr. Arthur Croft in San Diego after Dr. Croft's Advanced Whiplash and Traumatic Brain Injury Conference. Dr. Croft is one of the leading motor vehicle collision (MVC) researchers in the world!
Car Accident Whiplash Injury
A car accident whiplash injury is one of the most common injuries following an accident. It typically occurs when a person experiences a direct impact to the rear end of a struck vehicle. This impact causes the body to lift upward, forcing the head backward into Hyperextension. Immediately afterward, the head is violently whipped forward at a high rate of speed into Hyperflexion. This rapid, forceful motion is how the term “whiplash” was coined to describe this type of car accident trauma. Whiplash treatment may be necessary after a car crash, blows to the back in sports, or on-the-job injuries.
While symptoms are often felt immediately, some individuals may not experience pain for days, months, or, in rare cases, even years. In fact, many people wake up with neck pain without realizing they have sustained a head or neck injury. The most common symptom of whiplash—affecting 62% to 92% of those injured—is neck pain, which usually begins between two hours and two days after the accident.
Whiplash Headaches
An estimated 66% to 70% of those suffering from Whiplash complain of headaches. The pain may be on one side or both, on-again/off-again or constant, and may be localized or more diffuse. These headaches, like neck pain, are often the result of tightened, tensed muscles trying to keep the head stable, and are often felt behind the eyes.
Pain radiating down the neck into the shoulder blade area may also result from tense muscles. Muscle tears and nerve pressure affecting nerves traveling to the upper extremities often cause burning, prickling, or tingling sensations.
Disc Injuries & Pinched Nerves
Severe disc damage in the spine may cause sharp pain with certain movements, which is relieved in certain positions. The pain and other symptoms from disc injuries that place pressure on the spinal nerves may cause a "pinched nerve." This can lead to inflammation, pain, and even impaired function.
Pressure on these pinched nerves can cause your symptoms to radiate away from the spine and upward toward the head. The nerves of the neck travel down the shoulders and extend into the arms, hands, and fingers. This is why many neck problems cause symptoms in the arms and hands. If you experience any of these symptoms, you may have a Whiplash injury, and if left untreated, it could lead to far more serious problems months or years later.
Digital Stress X-Rays: Why Are They Important?
CRMA — Computerized Radiographic Mensuration Analysis
This test analyzes the angles and distances between bones in the spine using a computer and X-rays, a specialized type of radiograph. The purpose of the test is to accurately assess damage to the spine.
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For Patients
CRMA visually identifies the location of an injury. It can also help patients understand that some common defenses used in whiplash cases are often smokescreens employed by insurance companies. Finally, it can explain the patterns of pain that patients experience.
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For Doctors
CRMA assists with a "differential diagnosis," the process doctors use to rule out other sources of pain. CRMA can objectively detect and rule out malingering. Since CRMA identifies the location and extent of injuries, it helps the doctor develop a treatment plan targeted at the injured area. It is also useful for tracking changes in a patient’s condition and for determining when to make referrals to pain management specialists, neurologists, or surgeons.
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For Attorneys
CRMA visually provides objective medical evidence of injury, which can help substantiate a patient’s injuries in court. To introduce scientific evidence in court, it must be reliable and scientifically sound. Because CRMA uses decades-old mensuration techniques approved by the American Medical Association, it is considered acceptable for this purpose.
The mensuration method most commonly used today comes from the American Medical Association's Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (AMA Guides). It is considered the gold standard for impairment evaluation. The AMA Guides state that the only objective way to assess permanent spinal injury is to look for "motion segment alteration," which is "rare absent trauma."
Until the last 20 years or so, doctors performed mensuration by hand using X-rays, a light box, and a grease pencil. Over the last 20 years, more doctors and clinics have started using X-ray machines to take X-rays digitally rather than with static films (just like digital cameras have replaced film cameras).
CRMA has been tested by researchers, who have confirmed it is more accurate and repeatable than hand methods. For this reason, CRMA is generally accepted in evidence-based medicine as a reliable method of assessing spine damage. Most research articles published on the spine today use computerized mensuration tools.
Digital Motion X-Ray (dmx)
We also perform Digital Motion X-rays (DMX) at our office to investigate ligamentous instability more thoroughly. These injuries, which are rarely seen on MRI, are best visualized with a Digital Motion X-ray. Upper cervical instability is an injury that is rarely identified on static radiographs or MRI.
Injury to the upper cervical region can cause a wide range of symptoms, including but not limited to: headache, dizziness, nausea, drop attacks, facial numbness, arm numbness, and pain.
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Published Research on Motor Vehicle Collisions
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In a Losric study where they crashes were graded as having no damage, 38% of females and 19% of males had symptoms. When damage was rated as minor, these percentages were 54% and 34%
— chapline jf, ferguson sa, lillis rp, lund ak, williams af: neck pain and head restraint position relative to the driver's head in rear-end collisions. Accident analysis and prevention 32:287-297, 2000.
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The reported threshold for soft tissue injury of the neck in healthy adult males is a (vehicle) Delta V of 2.5 to 5 mph (the threshold for more vulnerable persons may be lower). Therefore, modern passenger vehicles can crash at velocities nearly twice this injury threshold, yet appear undamaged.
— hell w, langwieder k, walz f. reported soft tissue neck injuries after rear-end car collisions. International ircobi conference on the biomechanics of impact. September 16-18, 1998, goteborg, sweden, 261-274.
The acceleration of the human head in a LOS-RIC (Low-Speed Rear Impact Collision) can be up to 2–3 times (or more) higher than the vehicle due to the unique and complex occupant-vehicle coupling in this type of crash.
— severy dm, mathewson jh, bechtol co: controlled automobile rear-end collisions, an investigation of related engineering and mechanical phenomenon. Can services med j 11:727-758, 1955.
Approximately 29% and 38% of individuals exposed to rear-end impacts at 2.5 mph and 5 mph speed changes, respectively, experienced mild symptoms. These were relatively young and healthy volunteers seated in nearly ideal positions. Thus, the previously reported threshold for cervical soft tissue injury, which was set at 5 mph, appears too high. This is especially true for individuals involved in crashes where additional risk factors are present.
— brault jr, wheeler jb, siegmund gp, brault ej: clinical response of human subjects to rear-end automobile collisions. Archives of physical medicine & rehabilitation 79:72-80, 1998