How often do you turn your head while driving or while sitting as a passenger in a vehicle? Think about how often you turn to the backseat to talk to someone or check on a child and how often you turn your head both ways to check for oncoming traffic at a stop sign. These instances happen every single day and most people never give second thought to driving momentarily with a turned head. Whiplash, it turns out, is more likely to occur and even become chronic when the head is rotated at the time of impact.
Whiplash is almost expected when you are involved in a rear end car accident. Most people know that it causes stiffness, pain, and reduced range of motion in the neck and shoulder area, but this condition is more complicated than that. Heavy research has gone on over the years to determine why some people get over the symptoms of whiplash in a few weeks while others continue to suffer months and years into the future.
It has now been proven that one of the accident factors that often lead to more chronic cases of whiplash is a turned head. Whiplash from a rear end impact, such as another car running into your back bumper, is more likely to result in chronic whiplash, but if your head is rotated to one side at the moment that car presses into yours you are at even higher risks of chronic whiplash setting in.
Meet Your Ganglion
As you know, your spine runs along your back and up into your neck and the bottom of your skull. You may also know that an intricate network of nerves run along the spine. Think of this network of tiny nerves as phone lines that connect the brain to all limbs and organs in your body. The brain receives messages and sends messages along these nerve pathways to communicate with the rest of your body.
Located just on the outer perimeters of this nerve system are your spinal ganglia. A ganglion is simply a connection that contains sensitive nerve cells which are an intricate part of the properly functioning central nervous system. When you injure a ganglion of nerve cells it causes extreme pain, numbness, and other discomforting symptoms.
Your Ganglion & Whiplash
So, what does the spinal ganglion have to do with whiplash? Studies have shown that the force that causes whiplash could also cause the spinal nerve ganglion to become injured or stressed. This can happen directly or as a domino effect when pressure and jerking is applied to the spine.
Some studies have shown that you are more likely to sustain this type of nerve injury if you experience the accident with a turned head. Whiplash with nerve injuries can be extremely painful and is not likely to go away within a matter of weeks. A year after the accident the nerve damage could not only remain, but it could be even worse.
Protecting Yourself
There isn’t a lot you can do to protect yourself from whiplash in an accident or the resulting damage to your nerve roots and cells. You can be more aware of how you hold your body while in a vehicle to avoid a position with a turned head. Whiplash may still occur if you are hit from behind while holding your head straight forward, but at least you are avoiding one factor that could lead to more serious nerve damage in the spine.
This article is considered general information only; please consult a medical professional concerning your specific condition.
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