Stage 1
During stage 1 a person travelling in a car is suddenly jolted forward, then the seat begins to be pushed out from under the car occupant; this causes the middle of the back to be pushed against the back of the car seat. This results in an upward thrust in the cervical spine, compressing the discs and joints in the neck, as the back of the seat starts to thrusts the body forward, while the head is thrust backwards. These movements cause severe jolt to the neck. Properly adjusted head restraints will limit the distance the head travels backwards. The damage to the spine will take place before the head reaches the head rest.
Stage 2
The body has reached an acceleration of one to two times that of the car, however the head has not started to accelerate forward and continues to move backward. This produces abnormal S-curve in the cervical spine as the seat back recoils forward, the seat acts like a spring thrusting the body forward. This forward seat back spring action happens while the head is still moving backwards.
The result is a severe jolt to the neck resulting in the most damaging aspects of a “whiplash” (WAD) injury.
Stage 3
The body is now falling back down into the seat while the head and neck are in forward acceleration as the car is slowing down. By decreasing the pressure on your brakes while in the first stages of the collision, the brakes will be reapplied during this stage. This reapplication of the brake causes the car to slow down much quicker and makes it much more probable the increase in severity of the flexing injury to the neck. As the forward movement takes place, the seat belt tightens and takes up the sack, as you move forward in your seat, any slack in your seat belt and shoulder harness is taken up.
Stage 4
The most damage is caused during the phase 4 of the “whiplash” (WAD) phenomenon. The seat belt stops the bodies inside the car from moving while the heads are moving freely forward thus creating violent forward motion and causing strain to the muscles and ligaments of the neck. This also causes tears to fibres in the spinal discs and jolts vertebrae out of their usual position. The spinal cord and nerves may get overstretched and irritated. The brain may hit the inside of the skull causing brain injury. By not wearing a seat belt and hitting the inside of the car, windscreen or steering wheel there is a greater chance of suffering concussion or more severe brain injury.
Typical Symptoms Include;
- Pain and stiffness of the neck, extending up to the head and down to the shoulders
- Headache
- Numbness or tingling in the arms going down into the hands
- Low back pain
- Dizziness
- Mental problems, such as poor concentration, memory or mental performance
- Tiredness
- Ringing in the ears or tinnitus
- Blurred vision
“Whiplash”(WAD) Injury for further in depth information on “Whiplash”,(WAD) Neck pain treatment, symptoms, or neck pain please go to top left corner under “pain” or “conditions” and for Cold/Low Level Laser Therapy under “Treatments”
