Whiplash injury of the cervical spine

Abstract

Whiplash injuries of the cervical spine are of special medical and socio-economic importance. Biomechanical studies of the injury have proven, that a hypertranslation of the capito-cervical region takes place first, leading to ligamentous hyperdistension and ruptures, when exceeding elastic deformation, thus possibly resulting in mechanical disturbance and rotatory malpositioning. Diagnosis of so called "functional disorders" bears difficulties concerning objective tests for structural lesions. This demands the definition of diagnostic parameters and clinical signs, which also consider vegetative phenomena. This paper aims at a systematic clinical and radiological check. Adequate therapeutic means have to be concordant to prognosis. Therefore functional parameters should already determine differential diagnosis. This is based on technical feasibilities and needs future scientific efforts.

Postural control deficit in acute QTF grade II whiplash injuries

“…Therapeutic success is normally measured by the improvement of symptoms that most affect the patient. In whiplash patients, these are pain and restricted movement which quickly recede in a high percentage of patients [27][28][29]. After an eight-week follow-up, 21 of 40 patients showed an improvement in pain intensity and balance control while in 17 patients, who showed no change in the pain intensity, the balance control was unaffected and remained disturbed.…”

Mr Analysis of the Transverse Ligament in the Late Stage of Whiplash Injury

“…The transverse ligament has not previously been focused as a potential injury‐site in whiplash trauma. Recent studies of the whiplash trauma mechanism have proven that anterior translation as well as hyperflexion takes place in the upper cervical spine (15, 17). Such a mechanism can strain the transverse ligament.…”

A new acceleration apparatus for the study of whiplash with human cadaveric cervical spine specimens

“…The whiplash injury of the cervical spine belongs to the most common injuries in traffic accidents, but is one of the most poorly understood diseases of the spinal column (Bogduk and Yoganandan, 2001;Eck et al, 2001;Grifka et al, 1998;Livingston, 2000). Its socioeconomic burden therefore is enormous (Hell and Langwieder, 1998;Spitzer et al, 1995).…”