Motor vehicle accidents are unfortunately a common occurrence in today's busy lifestyle. Everyone is in a hurry to get places and many times doing two or three "other" things while they are driving. This leads to a greater likelihood they (or you) will be involved in a motor vehicle accident.

"According to an estimate of the National Safety Council, there were 11,900,000 motor vehicle accidents in the United States in 1993. Of these, 2,750,000 were rear-end collisions. Although the precise number of whiplash injuries per year cannot be determined, a rather rough estimate is more than one million." Consider how many more cars are on the road today!!

A Whiplash is defined as: A sudden jerking or relative backward or forward acceleration of the head with respect to the vertebral column. The result is injury to the cervical vertebra and adjacent soft tissues.

There are a number of factors that determine the severity of an injury. The following outlines a few of them:

1. Gender

Females are more prone to injury than males for a number of reasons:

• Longer neck (larger lever for added torque)
• Less muscle mass/tone (muscle has a protective effect)
• More socially acceptable (men see themselves as tough)
• Smaller neck diameter (as neck circumference is reduced the peak acceleration of the head increases which can create a more severe injury)

2. Age

If the occupants in the car are 65 years old or older they have a higher incidence of injury because of:

• More ligamentous laxity
• Less muscle mass and tone
• Slower healing rate
• More likely to have a higher incidence of preexisting conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis or other age related disorders.

3. Size

In general the larger the occupant's mass, the less likely he will be injured in an accident. A few relevant factors are as follows:

• The taller an occupant the greater risk of neck injury due to a longer neck. There is also a higher probability that the headrest will not be adjusted properly producing more neck extension — backward thrust with the headrest acting as a fulcrum.
• Short-armed drivers must lean forward to steer, thus increasing the distance the head travels back before striking the headrest during impact.
• Small children that are not properly restrained have increased risk of injury due to having a larger head in proportion to their body size. This creates a dangerous situation because they cannot generate enough muscle power to protect the neck structures.

4. Position

In a majority of cases the headrest is not positioned properly which leads to a greater risk of injury. Some occupants like to recline in their seats; this will allow the head to fully extend before making contact with the headrest. Allowing the head to fully extend greatly increases the likelihood and severity of a neck injury.

5. Pre-Existing conditions

Having the following conditions significantly increases the incidence of sustaining an injury:

• Chronic neck or back pain
• Degenerative disc disease (osteoarthritis)
• Systemic diseases such as Diabetes, Fibromyalgia and other rheumatological diseases
• Prior surgeries

What can you do to protect yourself?

Of course avoidance of the accident is the best protection. This sounds simplistic but there are things you can do to reduce the likelihood of an accident or at least reduce the severity of it. The following are some tips:

1. Pay attention to the road and not the radio or the cell phone.

2. Wear your seatbelt. Your seatbelt reduces the amount of distance that your body travels forward/backward as well as up out of your seat (ramping). A seatbelt will prevent you from hitting your head on the steering wheel or windshield. A less known benefit of wearing your seatbelt is it prevents you from being thrown out of the car. Think about it, there is no easy way to be thrown from a car, especially if your path is through one of the windows!

3. Position your headrest so that it makes contact with the middle portion of your head. You want your seat to be brought upright (not reclined) so the distance between your head and the headrest is minimal. The further away it is the more momentum (force) your head will undergo before it strikes the headrest. Striking the headrest is a major cause of headaches after a car accident.

4. Your head/neck almost always contact the headrest because it takes your neck muscles only (0.3–0.7 ) seconds to contract (protect) yet the impact (accident) is over in (0.1–0.2 ) seconds. What this means is your muscles are not fast enough to protect you if you are not ready for it. A prepared occupant, who tenses the neck in preparation for impact will suffer less torque in the neck than an unprepared occupant. This tensing of cervical muscles can reduce the strain on the neck structures and prevent/reduce injury.

5. When coming to a stop make sure to leave enough space between your car and the other car, or between your car and the intersection in front of you. This is especially true in wet or icy conditions. Keeping an eye on the rearview mirror will also alert you to a potential accident and that extra space in front of you may prevent you from being pushed into another care or the intersection.

What if I am in an accident, what can be done?

At Rehabilitex we understand the mechanics of your injury and our skilled staff can assist you through this traumatic and painful experience. Using our specialty services we can help you get through the healing process.

We also understand the legal aspects of problems and work very closely with your physician and your attorney (if applicable) to assist you through this confusing process.

You are not alone and we are here to help!

Click here to make an appointment at Rehabilitex.