Whiplash Causes Nerve Injuries
Whiplash Causes Nerve Injuries
When whiplash occurs, it may not always be a simple case to properly diagnose. This is especially true with constant pain in the arm without many findings on MRI. In Whiplash cases, the nerve can be injured in areas inside the shoulder and away from the intervertebral disc, specifically in the brachial plexus. The brachial plexus is where the nerves bundle to go down the arm. In a recent study by M. Ide, J. Ide, Yamaga, and Takagi (2001), published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, the authors state, “Symptoms and signs attributable to stretching of the brachial plexus do
occur in a significant proportion of patients after a whiplash injury. Their presence and persistence are associated with a poor outcome” (p. 226).
This is an important concept, since many patients that have these traumatically induced injuries are difficult to diagnose and often causality and bodily injury are not properly correlated. When working with a doctor it is imperative that they are familiar with injury sites that take more effort to uncover. Arm pain due to brachial plexus injury can be a debilitating condition that results in significant and permanent functional loss and will need to be properly objectified and documented.
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Reference:
Ide, M., Ide, J., Yamaga, M., & Takagi, K. (2001). Symptoms and signs of irritation of the brachial plexus in whiplash injuries. The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, British Volume, 83(2), 226-229.