Whiplash and Brain Injury
Researchers conducted tests on a series of MRIs from 1200 patients who suffered from whiplash (600), and a series of patients who didn’t suffer from this condition (600). It was done to determine a relationship between whiplash and brain injury. The study showed individuals who suffered from whiplash were more likely to suffer from brain injuries as well. Charia malformation was the brain injury found in these patients, where the bottom portion of the brain drops to the skull’s base. Nearly 23% of patients in the whiplash group were found to suffer from this condition, which Your local Lacey Olympia Chiropractor Dr David Warwick South Puget Sound Seattle Tacoma Chiropractor Treatment for Motor Vehicle Accidents & Injuries, performs treatments for.
Dr. Freeman and Dr. Kormel who conducted the MRI studies on patients, noted that patients in the test groups were both lying down and standing in an upright position during MRI readings. In non-whiplash groups, 5.3 and 5.7%, versus 9.8 and 23.3% in the whiplash group suffered this brain malformation. Dr. Kromel noted the condition is not only painful but can be dangerous to one’s health causing neck pain, tingling, numbness, and weakness. Lower extremity weakness was also noted in some cases. The Dr. further noted in a radio interview that any person suffering from pain, should visit a specialist immediately. A case for whiplash and brain injury.
The study showcases many points, first noting that whiplash can lead to other severe conditions. Psychological findings including depression and anxiety were also noted with some test patients. The third point noted in this study was that most MRI tests are only done lying down, which wasn’t the case in this study. Using the weight bearing MRI results, more than double the results from the patients who were lying down, showcased some form of brain malfunction.
It is also important to note that since 1/5 patients had whiplash, it is common to find these occurrences in non-traditional test methods. So in cases which are non-responsive, this is important to note that there are different test methods, which can provide the findings the specialist is seeking.It provides an alternative testing method which not only allows chiropractors and other specialists to determine the type of injury or brain malfunction a patient is suffering from, but also ensures more accuracy in results when more than one test sample is used. With so many individuals suffering from whiplash, even individuals suffering from minor pain should be tested immediately, as was noted by Dr. Kormel in the original test and research studies which were performed in 2010.
