Occult Ligament Tears are complete tears or ruptures of the ligament (ligaments connect bone to bone).  Neck trauma, such as whiplash from a car accident, the ligaments are severely compromised and often rupture from overstretching, as a result of the trauma (like whiplash in an auto accident). Often, patients present clinically with severe symptoms, yet are both neurologically and structurally intact.

In automobile accidents, the steering wheel can be considered a “blunt instrument” that can create bodily injury. The one thing in common for virtually every driver is that they are holding onto the steering wheel during an accident, leaving their hands and wrists exposed to injury

While advances in automobile design to reduce  injuries can also pose unique problems for the driver or passenger.  One of the most common product liabilities found in the automobile today is the 3-point seat belt restraint. The 3-point system has been instrumental in reducing fatalities, but can also contribute to injuries such as rib fracture, shoulder dislocation and spinal fracture.  Very little research has been published on these cases and the mechanism of injury.   Nourbakhsh, Patil, Vannemreddy and Smith (2009) reported their research in, “A Noncontiguous 2-Level Spinal Injury in a Young Female Driver Due to a 3-Point Seat Belt Restraint,” a paper published in a peer reviewed medically indexed scientific journal.   This paper’s focus was “to describe noncontiguous fracture and dislocations of the thoracolumbosacral spine in a 23-year-old female driver with a 3-point seat belt restraint” (Nourbakhsh et al., 2009,  p.

While advances in automobile design to reduce  injuries can also pose unique problems for the driver or passenger.  One of the most common product liabilities found in the automobile today is the 3-point seat belt restraint. The 3-point system has been instrumental in reducing fatalities, but can also contribute to injuries such as rib fracture, shoulder dislocation and spinal fracture.  Very little research has been published on these cases and the mechanism of injury.   Nourbakhsh, Patil, Vannemreddy and Smith (2009) reported their research in, “A Noncontiguous 2-Level Spinal Injury in a Young Female Driver Due to a 3-Point Seat Belt Restraint,” a paper published in a peer reviewed medically indexed scientific journal.   This paper’s focus was “to describe noncontiguous fracture and dislocations of the thoracolumbosacral spine in a 23-year-old female driver with a 3-point seat belt restraint” (Nourbakhsh et al., 2009,  p.

Strain/sprains can be permanent. There are 3 grades of sprain/strain: Grade 1: Overstretching of the ligament that is a transient condition that resolves

Strain/sprains can be permanent. There are 3 grades of sprain/strain: Grade 1: Overstretching of the ligament that is a transient condition that resolves.

It has been widely reported that the majority of automobiles deform or crush, as per the manufacturers rating at 5mph, and as a result, occupants can not be hurt at such a low velocity of impact. The Spine Research Institute of San Diego, who crashed dozens of cars in an independent study, found a flaw in the manufacturer’s rating.

Study Says 74% of Chronic Whiplash Patients Improved with Chiropractic A new study published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Medicine1 not only points out the superiority of chiropractic care for chronic whiplash patients, but also examines which chronic whiplash patients respond best to chiropractic care. The authors begin the paper by explaining that: “Conventional treatment of patients with whiplash symptoms is disappointing.” “A retrospective study by Woodward et al., demonstrated that chiropractic treatment benefited 26 of 28 patients suffering from chronic whiplash syndrome.”2 The question was not whether chiropractic was beneficial for acute whiplash patients, but to determine “which patients with chronic whiplash will benefit from chiropractic treatment.” The authors interviewed “100 consecutive chiropractic referrals for chronic whiplash symptoms,” seven of which were “lost to follow up.” They were able to divide the remaining 93 patients into three symptom groups: Group 1: patients with “neck pain radiating [referred pain] in a ‘coat hanger’ distribution [or pattern], associated with restricted range of neck movement but with no neurological deficit”; Group 2: patients with “neurological symptoms, signs or both in association with neck pain and a restricted range of neck movement”; Group 3: patients who described “severe neck pain but all of whom has a full range of motion and no neurological symptoms or signs distributed over specific myotomes or dermatomes.” These patients also “described an unusual complex of symptoms,” including “blackouts, visual disturbances, nausea, vomiting and chest pain, along with a nondermatomal distribution of pain [pain was not distributed along “normal” nerve supply pattern].” The patients underwent an average of 19.3 adjustments over the course of 4.1 months (average)

The following 8 tips for returning to daily activities after a car accident are only for educational purposes and are not medical advice.  These tips assume that there was not major trauma damage, unhealed fractures, severe whiplash or other complicating factors.  Please seek the professional advice of a physician if you feel that you have been injured in any type of accident.   Chiropractors have been found to be helpful in evaluating and treating auto accident related injuries. Avoid sitting in one position for long periods.

MYTH 1: “You cannot be injured in an auto accident of less than 12 mph. “ The fact is, only about 22% of auto injuries occur when impacts were greater than 12 mph and 60% of injuries happened in car accidents with the low speeds of 6-12 mph. Another 18% received soft tissue injury when impact was less the 6 mph