A Neck Injury Primer

Why is neck injury so prevalent? Largely because a very minor event can cause a devastating neck injury. Yet, there is no mystery in this. Your neck is slender in comparison to your head, which weighs an average of twelve pounds in an adult. A minor compression or twist can damage the cervical vertebrae, with resulting impingement of the spinal column, causing a devastating neck injury. Your spinal column is only the width of your small finger in the lower neck and controls your entire body. Think about it. Your entire life depends on a jelly-soft electrical cable that is about a half-inch wide. It’s not really a “neck injury,” it’s a spinal cord injury. You could strain you neck muscles all day long and they could be terribly sore, but the spine is what we are really talking about.

Spinal damage due to neck injury disables or incapacitates about ten to twelve thousand Americans every year. About a quarter million live with the result of neck injury. The most likely cause is a sudden, traumatic blow to the head, often in an auto accident. This fractures and dislocates vertebrae - the bones the hold up the spinal column. Bone fragments impact and traumatize the spinal cord, causing swelling and cell death. Blood vessels can rupture. At this point the neck injury causes the spinal cord to swell, cutting off oxygen and further hastening cell death. This is one reason that immediate care is needed after a neck injury. Swelling causes more damage than the initial accident.

After any neck injury it is essential to keep the neck as immobilized as possible. TV shows often have someone slapping an unconscious person to revive them, but given the movement of the spine this causes it’s a really bad idea - fit only for bad TV shows.

After calling for assistance and immobilizing the head as much as possible, cooling the neck with surrounding ice to reduce swelling, should help not arrive soon, is a good idea. The first treatment for neck injury, after any essential surgery, is axial traction using a rigid neck brace.

Neck injury can cause a large number of symptoms. The most commonly recognized, of course, is paralysis of some or all of the body. But there are many others, such as breathing problems and pneumonia, irregular heartbeat and blood clots, muscle spasms, bladder, bowel, and reproductive problems, and not least of all - pain.

Pain is probably the worst problem caused by neck injury, after paralysis, since it is often intractable and difficult to treat. Doctors don’t want to prescribe too many narcotics, and patients should not want to become drug-dependent zombies. So it’s a difficult balancing act for both patient and physician.

Whiplash and its Aftermath

>Whiplash is not something to take lightly. Too many people are involved in a rear-end collision and laugh off that “pain in the neck.” This is a real mistake. That “pain in the neck” could evolve into a crippling injury somewhere down the line. And at that time, the first thing the insurance company will ask for is records of the diagnosis and treatment. If you don’t have them, you are the one who will pay for treatment, possibly for the rest of your life.

Even if you have records, things may be difficult, so any time you suspect whiplash you should immediately seek professional diagnosis, from a chiropractor or physician.

What is whiplash?

It’s not just from auto accidents. Whiplash can come from any number of activities, such as sports, falls at work, or being physically assaulted. Most often, it results from a sudden jarring motion of the head. It can be caused by a blow, such as a tackle in football or an assault on the street. It can be caused by inertia. When a car stops suddenly and your head does not, whiplash will definitely ensue.

People often overestimate their strength in an auto accident, thinking they can brace themselves. But in a collision of two cars going at fifty miles per hour, the combined speed of impact is a hundred miles an hour. Trying to brace your head, which weighs an average of twelve pounds in an adult, would be impossible for the strongest man on earth. In fact, an impact of even fifteen miles an hour can cause whiplash. So something has to give.

The cause need not even be violent. One cause is repetitive stress injury - simply holding a phone by scrunching up you neck for long periods every day, can cause whiplash.

Shaking children can also cause whiplash. What is a light shaking to a grown adult is actually a traumatic injury to the soft and weak spinal cord of a child. Many people are in prison simply because they did not understand their own strength in comparison to that of a child.

As noted, seek a professional if you suspect whiplash. Seek help if you are involved in any interaction that you suspect has caused it. Also seek help if you have some or all of the following symptoms: persistent neck pain, swelling of the neck, an inability to turn your neck al the way around, persistent headaches, muscle spasms in the side or back of your neck, or a pain that shoots from your neck into your arm or shoulder.

Headaches and Migraines - You can do Something About Them

Headaches and migraines are, well, a real headache. No one likes to have them, especially at work. Unfortunately, your work may be a major cause.

Headaches and migraines can be triggered by a variety of causes, but some are very common. And the first, of course, can be your boss. “My boss gives me a headache,” may be all too true a statement. And if he gives you a migraine, it’s even worse.

Your job itself can be a problem. Let’s face it, not everyone likes the job they do - stress is often the norm. If your headache or migraine is so intense it interferes with your life, it may be time to consider changing jobs. You may be taking a cut in salary but increasing the quality of your life.

There are now some studies that warm weather can trigger headaches, so if you live in Arizona and suffer from migraines, turn up that air conditioner. It may cost a bit more in electricity, but the anger, sleeplessness, fatigue and depression caused by headaches or migraines and the ensuing pain medications, could cost a lot more.

Strong scents can also cause headaches or migraines, and we’re not just talking ammonia. Some people are very sensitive to smells. (It’s called MCS, or Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.) The headache that a normal person can get from a strong whiff of ammonia can be caused by anything from someone else’s perfume to floor wax. And many people have a mild case of MCS. Actually, since humans evolved without the presence of strong chemicals, sensitivity to them really can’t be called abnormal. We are surrounded by paints, solvents, perfumes, bug sprays, and various petrochemicals all day long. The wonder is that not all of us have migraines and headaches.

Testing for such sensitivity can be arduous and difficult, but just being more aware of smells you find unpleasant can be an indicator. New carpet, with its strong smell of glue and chemicals, can often set off a headache or migraine.

Here are some other causes of migraines and headaches. Tight hairdos that strain the scalp may cause a headache. Exercise or overexertion that increases blood pressure to the head can also cause headaches. Poor posture, especially if it bends or compresses the neck may result in migraines. Smoking, which constricts the blood vessels leading to the brain, may also cause headaches to both the smoker and those around them.

Trauma - Something Best Avoided

Most traumas are caused by automobile accidents. Oddly, this is something people fear the least. Everyone gets in their car totally oblivious to the fact that driving is the major cause of physical trauma. They even bend over to reach for a cell phone while driving at high speed during busy in-and-out traffic. Then they wonder why they are in the emergency room. So the best way to avoid trauma, statistically, is to drive carefully and always keep your eyes on the road. Let the cell phone wait. The next major cause of trauma in the United States is firearms.

Although you can’t avoid assaults, a very large number of firearm injuries are in the home - either self-inflicted, or because someone forgot to put a gun lock on his gun. And of course, a little common sense and caution may allow you to avoid assaults. Park your vehicle in a lighted place, close to a building, if you work at night. Avoid suspicious characters and places of dubious reputation. Nature put the hairs on the back of your neck for a reason - to help us head off trauma before it happens. If a situation feels bad, it probably is, so don’t walk into it, and don’t talk yourself into walking into it.

After firearms, a major cause of physical trauma is poisoning. No, we’re not talking Lucretia Borgia or secret agents. You probably aren’t James Bond. This is mostly common household poisoning. If you have children, lock up anything they might drink. Even if you don’t have children, your guests might bring some, so keeping household chemicals either high or locked is a good idea. Trauma can also be caused by workplace poisoning. Read the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) and heed it well.

Don’t think you’re a tough guy and that open bottle of per chlorate won’t harm you because it looks harmless and doesn‘t smell bad. If it says inhalation can cause lung damage, that’s just what it means. If gloves or masks are required, use them. There are other causes of trauma, from drowning to lightning strikes, but if you can avoid these three major ones, especially auto accidents, you may lead a long life.

What to do if You are Involved in a Car Accident

Of course, if the car accident involves serious injury, you may be able to do nothing. You just allow the paramedics to take over. However, if you and others are reasonably uninjured, the first step - always - is to notify the police. you should not move your vehicle. Moving it can not only be dangerous, but ruin your insurance claim. If you have triangle signs, lights, or flares, it’s a good idea to use them, in order to warn other drivers. If you do not have these, raising the trunk and hood and putting on your vehicle flashers is essential. You should, of course, get out of the road or you might cause other vehicles to be involved in your car accident.

Arguing with the other driver, if there was one, is a bad idea. Both parties are bound to claim they were right. It is best to simply stay calm and engage in a minimum of discussion until the police arrive. Simply try to find witnesses or ask if someone who was present will be a witness of your car accident.

If you have a cell phone, it might be a good time to call your insurance agent and report the car accident. Your respective insurers may dispute who was at fault, delaying your claim. The first person to get advice, or give information to their insurer, will help them resolve the dispute with the opposing company more quickly. Barring injury, some of the worst results of an accident can be insurance problems, so getting witnesses, information, a good police report, will keep your car accident a problem, rather than a major disaster.

Regarding the police report, be calm and respectful when talking to officers. Shouting and blaming the other driver, or being a Nervous Nelly, will not be helpful. Give all the information you can, as truthfully and clearly as possible. You can rehearse this in your mind while waiting for the police - it’s much better than arguing with the other driver. Policemen are human - if you make their job pleasant and simple, it may reflect in the car accident report. There is always a “slop factor” in any official report, and it’s best if it goes in your direction. Let the other person bluster and yell if they want to. Everyone respects someone who keeps their head in an emergency.

If you can walk away from a car accident, count your blessings. If you can walk away, knowing you got the facts down as clearly and as much in your favor as possible, you gave yourself a blessing.