Concussion And Whiplash
Concussion can be defined as a change in mental state (confusion) as a result of a trauma. It may involve loss of consciousness and in severe cases can have an associated brain injury and long term effects. Mild to moderate concussion and whiplash type injuries can be associated with concussion like symptoms with no permanent underlying brain injury and can be transient. The mechanism of the injury can vary from a blunt trauma blow to the head, face or jaw or may be attributed to a whiplash mechanism. Whiplash injuries usually involve trauma to the neck flexor and extensor muscle groups and joints of the cervical and thoracic spine and the jaw. The importance of understanding the injury mechanism in each case can significantly improve the accuracy and recovery outcome of the injured patient. A more concise treatment program can be devised to treat the factors that contribute to their malaise and impede their respective recoveries. The value of this approach was made evident as the NCAA filmed all the division 1 lacrosse matches. In reviewing the reported concussion injuries, they found that the prime mechanism contributing to concussion reporting in women's lacrosse was blunt trauma from a stick to the head, face or jaw. The cause of the men's whiplash type injuries were suffered from being crosschecked from behind. Both classified as concussions both treated very differently.
It is imperative that the treating practitioner has a purposeful direction when treating these injuries and has an understanding of how to restore the delicate balance and harmony that exists between the neighbouring involved structures. Complete recovery can be achieved in many cases and the probability of re-occurrence can be diminished when all the relative variables are considered and treated properly.
The diagram below outlines the complex pain patterns that can exist between the affected muscles post head and/ or whiplash (hyper flexion -hyper extension) type injuries
This outlines some of the the depth of understanding and consideration that should be taking place throughout the evaluation and treatment process.
