Why am I in Pain After a Minor Car Accident?
August 18, 2009
Scotch Plains and Bayonne Chiropractor Comments: There are many different reasons why injuries sustained in car crashes result in chronic or long term pain. First, there are several types of tissues in the neck that can give rise to pain. The most intense pain comes from the tissues with the greatest density of nerve fibers, such as the joint capsules and the ligaments holding the bones of the neck together. There are many ligaments in the neck that are vulnerable to being over-stretched and injured in a motor vehicle collision. The mechanism of a “whiplash” injury in a rear-end collision is unique. Upon impact, the vehicle rapidly accelerates forward while the head momentarily remains in its original position, resulting in an initial straightening of the neck followed by extension. At the extreme end-range of backward extension motion, the ligaments in the front of the neck are over stretched and can tear. Within milliseconds, the head is then propelled forwards into flexion which can then injure the ligaments in the back of the neck placing a significant amount of force on the joint capsules and ligaments holding the bones in close proximity.
Another reason the neck is injured is the speed at which the head and neck “whip” in the backwards and forwards directions after the impact. This occurs faster than what we can voluntarily contract our neck muscles to resist–within 600 milliseconds! Therefore, even if we brace ourselves in preparation for an impact, we can’t avoid injury to the ligaments and joint capsules.
Not all car accidents occur from behind. In fact, only about 1/3 occur from this direction. One study investigating which direction created greater degrees of injury reported 57% of chronic pain patient group occurred from rear-end collisions. It also found that woman sustained more ligamentous injury compared to men and that frontal and rear end collisions resulting in significantly higher levels of ligament injury compared to side impacts
Another well published reason why neck pain can “hurt so much” after a car crash is that the sensory input from the injured area to the brain can be so extreme that it leaves an “imprint” in the sensory portion of the nervous system and it becomes hypersensitive or sensitized, resulting in a lower pain threshold or being more sensitive to pain. This is similar to the “phantom limb” phenomenon that often occurs after a leg is amputated where the brain still “feels” leg pain after the limb has been removed. This has also been reported to be a reason for the significant constellation of symptoms often accompanying “whiplash” injuries. A partial list of associated symptoms with whiplash injuries includes neck pain, headache, TMJ / jaw pain, dizziness, coordination loss, memory loss, cognitive difficulty in formulating thought, communicating, losing your place during conversation, and more.
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Article by Dr. Eric Chludzinski, DC. Dr. Chludzinski is the founder of Hudson Center for Spinal Care located in Bayonne and Scotch Plains, New Jersey. In preparation for his career, Dr. Chludzinski attended St. Peter’s College in Jersey City, NJ graduating in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science in Natural Science. He continued his studies at Life University School of Chiropractic in Marietta, GA graduating in the class of 2002 as a Doctor of Chiropractic.
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