Chiropractic Effective for Whiplash Injury

Over 1 million people are injured in rear-end crashes each year in the United States, and a substantial fraction of auto injury cases result in pain for years or even decades. The good news is that chiropractic has been found to be an effective way to address whiplash injuries and prevent chronic pain. Drs. Ken Haycock and Tim Vierheller have helped many Massillon, OH, residents who have suffered from an auto accident and we might be able to help you, too!

A 1996 British study sums up the challenge:

"The 'whiplash' syndrome is a collection of symptoms produced as a result of soft-tissue injury of the cervical spine. The accumulated literature suggests that 43 percent of patients will suffer long-term symptoms following 'whiplash' injury. If patients are still symptomatic after three months then there is almost a 90 per cent chance that they will remain so. No conventional treatment has proven to be effective in these established chronic cases."

The authors of this report studied the success of chiropractic in twenty-eight individuals with long-term whiplash pain. The patients were referred to the doctor of chiropractic an average of 15.5 (range, 3-44) months after the crash, and were questioned before care by both an independent chiropractor and an orthopedic physician. The patients were allotted to one of four classification groups: A - No symptoms; B - Symptoms are a nuisance; C - Symptoms are intrusive; and, D - Symptoms are disabling. The initial analysis placed 27 of the 28 patients in groups C or D.

"Following treatment, 26 (93 per cent) of the patients had improved: 16 by one symptom group and 10 by two symptom groups. This improvement was independent of whether it was assessed by an orthopaedic surgeon or a chiropractor. In the group that had improved, 17 had stopped their treatment at the time of assessment; symptoms had recurred to a minor degree in four (24 per cent) of these patients and they were considering further treatment."

This matches what we find in our clinic here in Massillon, OH. Chiropractic adjustments are a wonderful strategy to enable you recuperate from auto injuries and avoid future pain and disability.

Don't suffer from old or recent motor vehicle injuries! We have been helping auto injury patients in Massillon, OH since 2003. Call our office today at (330) 833-2085 to see how we can help you.

Woodward MN, Cook JCH, Gargan MF, Bannister GC. Chiropractic treatment of chronic -whiplash- injuries. Injury: International Journal of the Care of the Injured 1996;27(9):643-645.