The forecast is one 16 million trips during this Holy Week. So when driving you have to be very careful, both on motorways and on conventional roads, the most dangerous according to the DGT.
And the most frequent injuries in collisions that occur on the road are spinal injuries, especially whiplash. We are talking about a pathology that affects eight out of ten drivers, caused by an acceleration-deceleration mechanism in vehicle collision accidents with rear or side impact, which transmits its energy to the neck, as explained by .
What is whiplash?
As explained by doctor Fernando Corbi, traumatologist and head of the traffic unit at Hospital Vithas Valencia 9 de Octubre, “cervical sprain or whiplash is a very common injury that occurs at neck level and is more frequent in rear-end accidents with another vehicle, that is, when a blow is received from behind. It occurs due to damage to the neck, which usually requires the use of a neck brace, and leads to headaches, neck pain, and dizziness.
This type of injury presents different types of severity depending on several factors, such as the speed of the impact or the type of car, since large cars tend to take the blow better than small cars.
“In addition, -says the specialist-, if we have seen the accident coming our body instinctively prepares to receive the blow but if it is by surprise, it usually catches us off guard and that increases the severity of the injury.”
Symptoms of whiplash
“The most common symptoms, -as explained by Matthis Beley, physiotherapist of the traffic unit-, are pain at the cervical level that limits neck movements; pain and/or tingling in shoulders, arms or even hands; dizziness, nausea, vertigo and pain in the middle back and/or lower back”.
But the specialist warns that “depending on the patient’s context and the type of accident, all these symptoms may appear or only some.”
The most curious thing about this injury is that, on many occasions, the effects of whiplash do not manifest immediately after the collision, but rather more than 24 hours may elapse before noticing the first symptoms, such as neck pain, dizziness, dizziness and pain in the upper extremities.
When they arise, it is essential to go to a medical center in order to start treatment as soon as possible. “This type of injury requires specific medical treatment, physiotherapy and on many occasions the symptoms can last up to 60-90 days,” says Dr. Corbí.
Treatment
Regarding treatment, the Dr. Juan Vicent Vera, an orthopedic surgeon and traumatologist at Hospital Vithas Castellón comments that “whiplash is a minor injury, but it must be treated by qualified personnel. In most cases, they fully recover within 2-3 months of treatment.”
It is in the case in question, because if it is allowed to pass, the consequences can be dragged later. “Untreated patients can experience sequelae in up to 15-20% of cases. The most common are chronic neck pain, headache, sensory disturbances in the arms and vertiginous syndrome”, explains Dr. Vera.
can be prevented
In addition to the usual advice when driving (do not consume alcohol, do not exceed the recommended maximum speed, wear a seat belt, etc.), there are ways to prevent cervical sprains.
This is how the coordinator of the Physiotherapy unit of the Vithas Medimar Hospital, Adrián Zafra, explains it, for whom “prevention is essential to avoid whiplash in traffic accidents and requires that we pay special attention to the correct use of the headrest”.
“This element is designed precisely as a security support. In this sense, once we occupy our seat, we must always have our head about 4 cm away from the headrest. Likewise, the eyes must be at the same height as the hardest part of this support and the seat of the occupants of the vehicle must not be reclined more than 25 degrees.
Physiotherapy treatment for Whiplash Syndrome aims to: reduce pain and muscle contractures, recover mobility and full range of motion, and prevent or eliminate atrophy.