INTERVERTEBRAL DISCS ARE INJURED IN WHIPLASH

INTERVERTEBRAL DISCS ARE INJURED IN WHIPLASH

The whiplash-related response of the cervical ligaments and discs have been quantified for frontal, side, and rear impacts in many different studies to date. In a very recent article by Siegmund, Winkelstein, Ivancic, Svensson, & Vasavada (2009), it was demonstrated that “spinal ligaments and annular fibers encapsulating the discs can partially or completely rupture when stretched beyond their physiological limit” (p. 104).

Image Compliments of Medical Legal Art via The Doe Report (www.doereport.com). Copyright © 2010 Medical Legal Art, All rights reserved. The C5/C6 disc was found to be at highest risk of injury during both frontal and rear impacts. Excessive strains were observed in superior discs, including C2/C3, during frontal impacts. Injuries to the ligaments of the upper cervical spine were reportedly more severe in individuals who had their head rotated at impact. When evaluating the traumatically injured, it is critical to work with health professionals that understand the mechanisms of injury, how to objectify bodily injury and the correlation between causality and persistent functional loss.

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Reference:

Siegmund, G. P., Winkelstein, B. A., Ivancic, P. C., Svensson, M. Y., & Vasavada, A. (2009). The anatomy and biomechanics of acute and chronic whiplash injury. Traffic Injury Prevention, 10(2), 101-112.