Doctor Higginson’s Blog

One of the most common symptoms experienced after a motor vehicle accident, is head and neck pain especially when the occupant is struck from behind. Neck injuries associated with auto accidents have been studied for many years, recently a new study published in the prestigious medical journal Spine, was released that helped to explain the cause of this pain.

The impact experienced by an occupant in an auto accident produces a large amount of force over a very short period of time, lasting only milliseconds. A new research study explains that it is may be the short time frame that may play a larger role in neck injuries than once thought. When an occupant is struck from behind, the force travels from the back of the car through the occupant finally exiting through the front. In order to protect the body, the body muscles of the neck contract to prevent injury. The muscles have been shown to fire at 100 milliseconds post impact which is 25 milliseconds after the majority of damage has occurred to the ligaments in the neck. (1)
The conclusion of the study: The muscles of the neck fire to late in a rear end collision to prevent injury to the spine and ligaments.
Ligaments heal very slowly because they lack the blood supply that muscles have. Ligaments in the neck also do not get the rest needed due to the demands on the neck at we go about our daily activities. The muscles of the neck are required to support a greater portion of the weight of the head and therefore become tired and sore while supporting this weight.
When structures of the neck are injured, the once healthy tissue is replaced with scar tissue. This new tissue is not nearly as strong or flexible as its predecessor. Encouraging proper healing of these tissues requires maintaining the mobility through spinal manipulation and stretching. Once the injured areas become less painful, it is imperative to strengthen the supporting muscles that have been injured. These muscles will be responsible for supporting the neck and preventing exacerbations or flare ups.
Injuries in the neck can also produce symptoms of pain in areas other than the location of the injury, this is called referred pain. For example and injury that occurs in the neck from a motor vehicle collision can present at pain in the shoulder blade. Referral pain patterns have been mapped out in the neck by injecting a stimulus to a specific area in the spine with a stimulating agent and the patient is asked to identify any symptoms they are experiencing outside of the location of the injection.
1. Vasavada AN, Brault JR, Siegmund GP. Musculotendon and fascicle strains in anterior and posterior neck muscles during whiplash injury. Spine 2007;32(7):756-765.

The first symptom of the top three causes of death is often death.   How often do we hear someone suffered from a “sudden heart attack.”  People don’t have sudden heart attacks.  Lifestyle choices stress the body to a point that the heart can no longer function properly.  That “sudden” heart attack started long before the day the first symptom was experienced.

In my office I don’t see “sudden heart attacks”; what I see is “sudden back attacks.”  “I just reached over to pick up my sock and my back went out.”   Unless you have really heavy socks, I doubt that it was the sock that caused the problem.  The sudden back attack is a collection of events and stresses put on the body over a long period of time that culminates to a point of no return.

If you did not change your oil in your car for 3 years and your car broke down, would you call it a sudden car problem or a car problem of neglect.

It is no coincidence that it was the camel’s back that was broken by the straw.

If you are interested in preventing sudden back attacks, speak with your chiropractor today.

It is no small feat to hold the human head up for an entire day.  If you don’t believe me, try carrying a bowling ball over your shoulders all day.  Our heads weigh 8 to 10 pounds, just as much as a bowling ball.  Luckily, we have muscles that are designed to hold the weight of the head as we go about our daily activities, but what if those muscles become weak and fatigued?  If you try the bowling ball experiment, you will find out that your arm gets really tired and sore.  In this experiment your arm is analogous to your neck, and that is why your neck gets tired and sore throughout the day.

So what can you do?  If your arm is getting tired from carrying something heavy, you might decide that you need stronger arms and hit the gym.  Could I be saying that you should be lifting weights with your head?  Actually, that is exactly what I am saying.

Researchers in Finland recently found that patients who did neck strength-building exercises had a decrease in neck pain over the patients who stretched or did nothing.  This is not to say that there are no benefits to be gained from stretching the neck.  It does demonstrate the benefit of combining a strength training program for your neck.

What is that, you say?  No neck strengthening exercise equipment at your gym?  Most people at the gym are concerned with “pumping up” their muscles, and the functional aspect is secondary.  Therefore, you will not find many neck strengthening machines at gyms.  Luckily, many of these exercises can be done at home with little or no investment.

Neck strength can be increased by performing exercises known as isometrics.  This is a sustained contraction of muscles in order to build endurance.  Neck strength can also be obtained with the use of therapy bands.  Therapy bands are resistance bands similar to elastic in that they provide resistance the farther you stretch them.  They can be purchased in many chiropractic offices and sports equipment stores.  Therapy bands can be used for a number of different exercises throughout the body.

It is important to speak with a healthcare professional prior to starting either type of exercise to determine if you are a candidate for this type of muscle strengthening.

Dr. Bryan Bingham
Highland Chiropractic