The neck is a complex structure composed of vertebral bones, joints, discs, muscles, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, nerves and other tissues. During an auto accident, the force from the impact will act against the body, frequently causing the head to jolt abruptly back-and-forth in any given direction, otherwise known as whiplash.
Individuals who were solely involved in rear-end impacts face up to a 50 percent chance of suffering from car accident whiplash injuries, and of those injured, there is also the risk they will develop further complications, such as chronic pain symptoms and/or degenerative conditions. Roughly half of all people with chronic neck pain can associate their issues to a prior car accident.
Whiplash can damage or injure the structures located around the cervical spine. The sudden motion of the neck stretches the surrounding tissues causing spinal misalignments, or subluxations, muscle, tendon and ligament strains and tears as well as pinched nerves and spinal degeneration over a period of time.
Dr. Alex Jimenez D.C.,C.C.S.T’s insight:
Millions of individuals experience whiplash-associated injuries in the United States alone due to the increasingly high number of car accidents, which unfortunately occur on a regular basis. A majority of these individuals may then develop symptoms of neck and back pain over time. For more information, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at (915) 850-0900.
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