Intensive Spine Care
Intensive Spine Care
What are the Symptoms of Whiplash Injury?
How is Whiplash Injury Diagnosed?
How is Whiplash Injury Treated?
What is Whiplash Injury?
Whiplash Injury – Neck Pain
The term whiplash Injury refers to the symptoms caused by damage to the structures in the neck : bones, discs, ligaments, tendons, fascia, nerves, and/or muscles as a result of an acceleration/deceleration injury.
Whiplash Injury is one of the most common automobile injuries and typically includes damage to the soft tissues (muscles, ligaments, discs, and fascia) of the neck. Whiplash injury can even occur at low speeds (5mph) accidents with minimum damage to the vehicles.
What Causes Whiplash Injury ?
Whiplash Injury is most commonly caused by a collision that results in a sudden acceleration or deceleration of the body. Whiplash injury can occur when you are involved in an automobile collision, sports collision, and falls.
Whiplash Injury – Mode of Injury
The sudden acceleration or deceleration of the body results in uncontrolled forced hyperflexion of the head and neck followed by hyperextension of the head and neck.
These sudden uncontrolled whiplash forces cause damage to different structures in the neck : bones, discs, ligaments, tendons, fascia, nerves, and/or muscles as a result of a whiplash Injury also referred to as acceleration/deceleration injury.
What are the Symptoms of Whiplash Injury?
Most common symptoms of a whiplash injury may include:
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Neck Pain
- Shoulder/Arm/Hand Pain
- Numbness and Tingling
- Mid-Back Pain
- Rib pain
- Low Back Pain
- Hip and Leg Pain
- Stiffness
- Difficulty Concentrating
- Depression
- Insomnia
Whiplash Injury symptoms often develop a few days or even weeks after a whiplash injury, yet waiting until the onset of symptoms to receive a diagnosis and treatment can greatly interfere with your recovery.
Whiplash Injury is one of the most common auto injuries and entails damage to the soft tissues(muscles, ligaments, discs, and fascia) of the neck. Many people think whiplash Injury only occurs in high speed or potentially fatal accidents. However, whiplash injury can occur from accidents as slow as 5 mph.
Whiplash Injury – Car Damage and Trauma
How is Whiplash Injury Diagnosed?
A consultation to understand your whiplash injury symptoms and details of how the activity or event that possible whiplash injury occurred. The doctor will then perform specialized orthopedic and neurological tests to determine any abnormal spinal function, movements, and positions resulting in symptoms and functional limitations associated with whiplash injury.
The doctor will then take specialized x-rays in specific positions as a result of the exam findings to determine structural damages to bone, discs, and joints commonly found with whiplash injury. Soft tissue damage from whiplash injury can not be directly seen on x-ray but findings of abnormal gaping between spinal joints and decreased space between the spinal vertebrae are indicators of disc and ligament damage as a result of whiplash Injury.
These x-ray findings will determine if further diagnostics tests are needed, such as, MRI, CT Scan, and/or Digital Motion X-rays to properly diagnosis a whiplash injury.
We are the only healthcare facility in Miami utilizing Digital Motion X-ray (DMX) to locate and diagnose whiplash injury. When moving, the DMX can allow us to determine the damage missed by non-moving MRI, CT scans, and traditional x-ray.
DMX (Digital Motion X-Ray) is a weight bearing, motion based x-ray system that allows the physician to analyze whiplash injured areas of the spine and extremities in real time motion. Whiplash injury most commonly hurts or increases while the patient is moving or performing a common daily activity.
Whiplash Injury – Digital Motion X-Ray
DMX takes high quality images at 2,700 views per min at less radiation than a typical standard static X-ray. The physician is able to see the spine and extremities in full motion which provides more information on function and extent of the damage caused by the whiplash injury.
DMX reveals spinal Instability, fractures, abnormal Bio-mechanics, anomalies, and ligament whiplash injury not visualized on MRI, CT scans, static x-ray. CT.
After all the whiplash injury information is collected and all necessary examinations and diagnostics are performed and studied, Dr. Alfonso will then provide you with a detailed report of findings and diagnosis of your whiplash injury. He will discuss your treatment recommendations and answer any questions you may have.
How is Whiplash Injury Treated?
The first step to recovery is identifying and understanding the cause of your health condition through our unique diagnosis procedures.
The new patient process begins with a one on one detailed consultation to help Dr. Alfonso understand your condition and symptoms.
Whiplash Injury – Examination and Diagnostics
Whiplash Injury usually causes damage to the structures in the neck : bones, discs, ligaments, tendons, fascia, nerves, and/or muscles but also can damage other areas of the spine and extremities.
Dr. Alfonso’s Structural Correction Chiropractic Care rehabilitates the weakened and damaged spinal system and its parts (muscles, ligaments, fascia, discs, bone, and nerves) decreasing pain, improving function, improving structure, and quality of life.
Dr. Alfonso’s Corrective Chiropractic Care System has 3 major treatments components working synergistically together to achieve phenomenal results without drugs or surgery.
1. FLEXIBILITY AND HYDRATION PROCEDURES
The first step in the rehabilitation of a damaged weakened spine, is known as our flexibility and hydration procedures. Specialized structural chiropractic rehabilitation equipment designed to increase spinal flexibility, improving spinal disc hydration and nutrition, and decreasing stiff painful muscles, ligaments, and tendons along the patient’s spine.
2. SPINAL ALIGNMENT PROCEDURES
Once the supporting spinal structures are relaxed, flexible and spinal discs are rehydrated the doctor will then direct the spine into proper alignment based off 41 measurements and 23 angles from the X-rays through safe, gentle and effective spinal adjustments, referred to as the Structural Chiropractic Alignment Procedures. These procedures safely align the spine for decreased pain, better function and improved range of motion.
3. STRENGTHENING AND REEDUCATION PROCEDURES
Once we get the spine into an improved alignment, we want the body to start holding these new improved positions naturally. This is when we apply the Strengthening and Re-education Procedures.
Retraining the brain and strengthening the posture muscles, tendons, and ligaments along the spine to get the body to hold the new positions naturally. This is achieved through the use of our specialized body weighting system combined with specialized vibration therapy. The specialized vibration therapy strengthens postural muscles, decreases inflammation and pain, increases circulation, increases flexibility, improves damaged ligaments and muscles, and improves bone mass.
Body weighting on the vibe strengthens and retrains your brain and postural muscles and ligaments improving your spine and posture, decreasing pain and accelerating your improvements.
The treatment for whiplash injury requires a combination of in clinic treatment with a home rehabilitation system that’s built specifically off your individual findings and whiplash injury.
The doctor will monitor your results and long-term prognosis as a result of your whiplash injury through reexaminations and diagnostics.
The goal of our whiplash injury care is to have the patient improve symptomatically, functionally, and structurally and most importantly teach you how to take care of your spine so you’re less likely to be dependent on doctors in the future.
It is required to document the exact location and severity of all injuries that occur in auto, work, home, and sports injuries for Medical-legal Injury cases.
This documentation is needed to report any permanent injury and the necessity of ongoing supported future care as a result of a whiplash injury.
