Understanding Whiplash

Nutritional Considerations For The Whiplash Victim

Nutritional support Under all conditions, optimal health depends on an adequate intake of vitamins and minerals.  Due to the increased stresses your body is under after a motor vehicle collision that leads to whiplash or some sort of disc or spine related injury your nutritional needs become magnified.  While some have held that a balanced meal is enough to meet these requirements, researchers have had a great deal of difficulty defining this balanced meal in such a way that these nutrients are actually supplied as needed. even if this were the case, Americans, as a group,  rarely eat more than a couple of well balanced meals in a row. To make matters worse, researchers have always shown that the normal levels described by the RDA (recommended dietary allowance) are probably not optimal for most of us, leaving us with the nagging question: Do we really get enough of the essential vitamins and minerals in our typical diet? Most experts will answer that question with a resounding "no."

Complicating matters is the fact that in an effort to adequately supply our ever growing population with food sources we tend to over-farm our land, robbing the soil of nutrients, resulting in foods that are low in many key nutrients and in some cases devoid of them altogether. In addition in order to bring in the maximum yields of crops, with as little spoilage as possible, farmers frequently harvest crops before they are ripe. All of these factors can reduce the food's nutrient value. Add in the fact that many of us tend to overcook our vegetables and chemically processing and what's left of the remaining nutrients is sapped right out of our food.

One key deficiency is that of the B vitamins.  Most of the B vitamins are water soluble, therfore if you boil foods, much of these vitamins leach into the boiling water and are poured down the kitchen sink drain. Increased levels of toxins in our environment, such as pesticides, air pollutants, impurities in our drinking water, food additives, and so on, actually increase the need for certain nutrients so that our bodies can detoxify these poisons. Alcohol and tobacco also greatly increase our need for certain nutrients, such as vitamin B complex and vitamin C. Certain prescription drugs increase the need for other nutrients or prevent their absorption. And even emotional stress increases the need for vitamins B and C, and perhaps others. 

When your body is injured, your requirement for certain vitamins and minerals increases-dramatically in some cases. This is a reality that, for many years, has been completely lost on most of the medical community. But our collective thinking is steadily changing.

The subject of human nutrition is complex and well beyond the scope of this web site, but, suffice it to say here, that all of us should be taking regular vitamin and mineral supplements in order to maintain optimal health. Let me repeat then: the need for many vitamins and minerals is greatly increased after an injury as the body  is forced to call upon its reserves to repair itself. However, a person's size, age, gender, liver and kidney function, prescription drugs, and special circumstances (pregnancy or disease) all affect the requirements for vitamins and minerals.

Most persons with chronic pain of a musculoskeletal origin should also supplement their diets with methyl sulfonyl methane (MSM) and glucosamine sulfate (GS). These special compounds which have gained much notoriety of late are basic building blocks of joint cartilage and intervertebral discs.  They are believed to strengthen and rejuvenate these tissues with long-term use. Unfortunately for many people, especially when following a strictly allopathic route of treatment the medicines of choice for whiplash injuries like the  most popular nonsteroidal antiinflammatory medications (NSAIDS), such as ibuprofen, have been shown to inhibit the repair of joint cartilage and are also known to exert adverse effects on the liver, kidneys, and stomach when used over a long period of time. This class of drugs also has one of the greatest potentials for serious side-effects, such as gastrointestinal bleeding. 

In addition to pain, persons suffering a whiplash injury very often suffer from confusion, mental fatigue, forgetfulness, and difficulty concentrating. Fortunately, there are natural alternatives which can be used to effectively manage acute and chronic pain, inflammation, muscle spasm, and these debilitating cognitive effects of whiplash. Some of the ones I most commonly recommend are Omega 3 fatty acids, Boswelia, and Willow Bark.

In nutritional supplementation, the old adage, "You get what you pay for," certainly applies. Bargain pricing found in supermarkets is made possible only by supplying very low doses, using incomplete formulas, and by substituting low quality materials and using cheap processing methods. Many of these products do not even live up to their own label claims when tested. So it's always best to take the advice of your health professional when making important decisions about nutraceutical use.

Note: these claims have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to treat, prevent, cure, or diagnose disease.

Active stretching We have already discussed several important dos and don'ts that can affect your recovery under the heading of activities of daily living (ADL)-tasks and postures that can sometimes adversely impact upon the healing process. In this section we'll discuss the other important areas of home care: exercise and stretching. These can be done at home, on the road, or even at work, and are an important adjunct to your doctor's indispensable work. Remember to create a user name and password on our home page so that you can access the exercises we have available to you.

One of the most important, if not the most important goal of treatment and at home care is to maintain your overall range of motion, which is abbreviated ROM. This is primarily a concern in the neck. As it turns out, women generally have slightly more ROM in their necks than men, and younger persons have more ROM than older persons. Our chief goal is to preserve the ROM that is normal for you. During your inital evaluation we will conduct a computerized range of motion study to determine your level of mobility and compare this to others in your age and gender bracket this way we can gauge what should be normal for you. The stretches and exercises available in our members only section should only be considered after we have discussed them.  For this reason I must approve your access to that portal on the web site.  Some might be inappropriate for you. The timing is also important. Starting too soon or too aggressively after an injury may be counterproductive.

When you do begin exercising it helps to follow your progress in front of a mirror. And report any difficulties you have in performing these motions to me immediately. Usually, you will experience some discomfort, especially at the extremes of each motion. This is to be expected. Start by moving your neck in each range just as far as you can without experiencing too much discomfort. Your ROM will improve gradually.

Home Traction In some cases I may recommend home cervical traction. It has been shown that simple home cervical traction can speed up the process of healing of injured tissue, such as we see in whiplash, and can also result in a better overall repair on a microscopic level. Clinical studies have demonstrated that even severe neurological disorders, such as myelopathy and radiculopathy from disc herniation, can sometimes be effectively treated using home cervical traction. This form of treatment should begin very early on in the healing phase and can continue as long as it provides relief. Even after many months, when most recovery has taken place, many patients use traction to relieve occasional muscle spasm, headaches, and neck and upper back pain.

A typical regimen for home use would consist of three sessions daily of 10-30 minutes each. The amount of traction exerted, as well as the angle of pull, should be determined by your physician and should never be painful. Best results can be obtained by using a system such as the EasyTraxTM, which exerts traction from the base of the skull, where it is most effective; not over the temporomandibular (jaw) joint where it can aggravate or precipitate a TMJ condition. The amount of traction is easily adjusted on the fly by the patient's foot pressure, and the angle of traction is easily adjusted by varying the placement of the stopper in the door jamb. This is a very lightweight and portable system that can be used virtually anywhere, Figure 6. It is best used in conjunction with a cervical pillow.

Home exercise In addition to stretching routines, it is just as important to work on strengthening the muscles that support yourt spine as well. In this section we'll discuss some of the more useful methods of exercise for whiplash patients. In general, we don't want to do any resistance exercise in which the neck moves very far into the various ranges of motion discussed earlier. This can result in flare-ups of pain, or even reinjury. Instead, the exercises presented here are isometric. These provide ample resistance to tone and strengthen the muscles, but the ROM excursions-and thus, the stress on the joints of the spine and discs-are kept to a minimum.   

ALWAYS CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE BEGINNING AN EXERCISE OR STRETCHING REGIMEN, OR WHEN CONSIDERING A NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTATION STRATEGY.

What You Don't Know About Hidden Car Accident Injuries Can Hurt You

WARNING:  Hidden injuries are sneaky, potentially debilitating, and will strike millions of Americans this year…and due to ignorance and/or inappropriate care, many car accident victims will suffer for the rest of their lives!  That’s the bad news.  The good news is that there is help available to you that ensures that you know what the insurance companies know so that you right can be protected. 

Every day, thousands of Americans are involved in auto accidents and they aren’t lucky enough to have this information in front of them.  As a result, they either receive inappropriate care for their injuries or never get their injury diagnosed properly, and often settle their case too soon.  My recommendation:

Don’t Talk Or Speak to Anyone About Your Case Until You Finish Reading this material!
 
Most insurance adjusters know all about the kind of injuries people like you and me can experience in an accident.  They know sometimes you don’t feel injured right away and that’s why they try to settle as quickly as possible while your medical bills are low or non-existent.  They’d rather see you in pain after you settle with you picking up the tab for your own treatment.  This Can Happen Even If It’s Your Own Insurance Company You’re Dealing With!

Make no mistake, insurance is a business like any other, and the less they spend on appropriate care, the more money they make their shareholders.

Even if you were involved in a minor fender bender, studies have proven you could suffer from a severe injury that isn’t easily noticeable; or not noticeable immediately.  In fact there are sources that reference speeds as low as 3miles per hour as the injury threshold

You can be severely injured and only feel a little or no pain at all after the accident.   One of the reasons for this is the release of adrenalin by your body in response to the trauma of the accident.  This is known as the fight or flight mechanism.  If you have ever heard about cases of people developing "super-human" strength when trying to save a loved one or relative from danger this is exactly what is taking place.  A chemical called epinephrin (adrenalin to you and me) is releashed by the body; when this happens you may develop a heightened sense of awareness as your pupils dilate, your sense of smell improves, your heart is able to pump out blood at a more rapid rate which enables muscles to handle greater stresses....momentarily,  But what happens when that effect wears off?  Pain, sorenes, muscle aches, headaches, etc.

 Your doctor, if not aware of the mechanics of your injury, can easily miss this and mistake your pain for something completely different.  This is when insurance companies try to settle with you.  Don’t make this mistake!  Until a recognized and reputable doctor who has experience with low impact, soft tissue injuries says you have reached maximum improvement, don’t make the decision to settle too soon!

What MOST Doctors Don’t Know About
Hidden Injuries CAN Financially And Physically Hurt You!

You see, after any accident, it’s advisable to visit the emergency room to make sure you don’t suffer from any life-threatening injuries like broken bones, a punctured lung, or internal bleeding.  This is what emergency room doctors specialize in.

 But the problem is that as long as there’s no immediate threat to your life, the emergency room physician is likely to send you along on your way with pain medication to mask the pain.

 And here’s the problem with only taking pain medication after your accident…

Soft tissues like muscles, ligaments, discs, nerves and blood vessels need oxygen.  They also need to function and move properly.

When you only take pain relief and/or anti-inflammatory medication, scar tissue and adhesions can form limiting the proper motion needed for healthy nerve and blood flow.

Scar tissue is also a substandard tissue that can turn into its own source of pain – causing a number of chronic pains, symptoms and syndromes!  It is; however, the normal way the body heals from sprains and strains to muscles, tendons, and ligaments.  It is a process known as second intention, and it begins within several hours to several days after a trauma.  If muscles (ligaments or tendons) are injured they do not reproduce muscle (ligament or tendon), instead a new type of tissue replaces the original fiber types:  scar tissue or adhesions.  These secondary or replacement tissues are more likely to be reinjured and less flexible than the original fibers.

The good news is if treated properly (and early in the process, the earlier the better) the loss of mobility, the amount of pain, and even the potential for future injury can be reduced.  Without getting into too much detail at this point this relates directly to mobilizing the scar tissue and adhesions so that these fibers run in the same direction as the original fibers they replaced.

Another Problem Is That Soft Tissue Injuries
     Are NOT Always Visible On X-Rays

That’s why most doctors don’t have the training to detect soft tissue injuries… they over-rely on vital signs, x-rays, and the pain described by the patient!

Since many doctors can’t detect your injury, they make the wrong diagnosis about what’s wrong with you.  So any treatment you get based on this diagnosis will do practically nothing for you!

The treatment of choice for medical doctors, like your family doctor, is to use drugs to cover up your symptoms (in your case, the biggest symptom is pain) so you don’t feel injured anymore.  This form of treatment only gives you the illusion that you’re okay, when really you can be seriously injured and not know it.

So, If You Are Experiencing Any Of These Symptoms,
You May Be Suffering From A Hidden Or
Soft Tissue Injury…
• Muscle Stiffness
• Spasms
• Neck Pain
• Headaches
• Numbness And Tingling
• Mid-Back Pain
• Low Back Pain
• Difficulty Sleeping
• Memory Loss
• Fatigue
• Difficulty Concentrating

Or worse yet, you may be feeling none of these right now because your injury hasn’t started producing these symptoms yet.

The Shocking Truth About Using Pain Relievers,
Physical Therapy, and Surgery To Get Rid Of Your Pain!

 Let’s assume you are experiencing some neck pain.  How will your doctor attempt to treat you?  Well, rather than go after the cause of the problem he or she can’t find he or she’s going to attempt to cover up your pain with over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and other, more powerful pain relievers.

 These drugs only work by sabotaging your body’s ability to register pain.  They do absolutely nothing to fix the problem causing the pain.  So, while these drugs are sweeping the dirt under the rug, you’re given the illusion you’re actually okay.  This is dangerous.

Why?

1. Accident victims on pain medication are more likely to settle their case.  The insurance companies use this to their advantage so don’t make hasty decisions while on pain relief medication.  It may come back to haunt you later.

2. Usually under pain relief medication, you are more likely to worsen your injury!  Your body’s way of telling you that you are making things worse is pain and, if you do not feel the pain, you may be aggravating your injury and not even know it!  Ever had a sprained ankle?  What happens if you keep walking on it rather than sit it out for a few days?  It hurts more and more.  And why?  Because you’re making it worse!

The same is true for these hidden injuries in your neck and back.  Yes, you read that correctly!  Your doctor who means well and wants you pain-free, may be hurting you by giving you seemingly harmless drugs!

That’s not to mention the side effects of using these drugs.  You see, the bodily functions these drugs are blocking to hide your pain also have other functions in the body.  Depending on the drug, you may run into serious kidney, stomach, or liver problems as a result of popping these drugs just to get through a day of work.

The next step doctors will rely on once their initial treatments fail is to refer you to a physical therapist.

The only problem here is the physical therapist is told what to do by your doctor.  This means whatever therapy you undergo is designed to treat the problem your doctor thinks you have, when really it may be something totally different.

 So, after this charade, it’s no coincidence most people with ‘hidden’ injuries are still in pain and may even feel worse!

 At this point, you are either sent back to therapy to try another treatment that odds are won’t work because the person directing the treatment, your doctor, never diagnosed your problem correctly.  Or, he may recommend you see a surgeon about your problem.

Now, it’s true that surgery is an extremely drastic treatment for these sorts of injuries, but if a surgeon doesn’t know what to go after, you’re probably not going to come out of the operating room fixed.

Oftentimes surgeries, especially in the neck and back, will only result in a short period of pain relief, at best.  More than half of all back surgeries will never get you out of complete pain.  (This is one of the reasons why we began using the DRX9000 Non-surgical spinal decompression system.  It gives us an effective avenue of treatment that doesn't merely mask the symptoms or remove tissue from the body, but it also helps in replenishing fluid and disc material back into the disc.)

 When it comes to surgery there’s the added risk of infection and anesthesia problems, not to mention other side effects that aren’t too uncommon when it comes to cutting a body open…like missed time off work and reduced living for weeks or months at a time.  Do you really think surgery is even an option you should consider especially since your doctor may not have the whole picture?

Discover Right Now If You Suffer From
A Hidden Injury!

 Hidden injuries are extremely serious problems.  Unfortunately, medical science is under-trained and unequipped to diagnose and treat them with any measure of success.  This is a giant health care problem in this country, considering 20 million people have suffered from a hidden injury.

 The sooner you find out you have a hidden injury, the sooner you can start a treatment plan to get rid of it and get you out of pain as soon as possible.  Wouldn’t it be nice to be finally pain-free and living your life the same way you did before the accident ever happened?

Well, if you do find out that you do suffer from a hidden injury, then this can be your reality.  Imagine significantly reducing your pain level or potentially being pain-free without pills, or painful and repetitive physical therapy, or even the thought of surgery.

Isn’t that nice?  Wouldn’t you rather be healthy and alive once again, rather than living life only one pill away from endless pain, misery and frustration?  Aren’t you tired of going to your doctor again and again, and never getting better?

You see, your doctor may know there are better treatments out there available to you, but they also know if they tell you that, you may never come back to see them!

I Have Over 20,000 Hours Reducing Pain Levels and Getting Auto Accident Victims
Out Of Pain Safely And Effectively Without Drugs Or Surgery!

 My name is Dr. Angelo Rubano, Clinic Director of Accurate Chiropractic LLC in Fort Myers, Florida.

 I’ve spent years fighting for the rights of auto-accident victims just like you.  In fact, that’s one of the reasons I developed this web site.  I’m sick and tired of car accident victims going through years of pain and misery all because no one ever bothered to tell them their rights and the truth about their injuries.

I’ve used my drug and surgery-free method to help auto-accident victims just like you out of pain as quickly and easily as possible.  I’ve been able to help almost everyone who I’ve diagnosed with a hidden injury.

In fact, I’ve been so successful and happy with helping people just like you get out of pain, I’ve focused a majority of my practice and skill at getting auto accident victims out of pain and keeping them that way!  There’s nothing that pleases me more than helping car accident victims just like you.

 That’s why I pack my website with the valuable information that will allow you to make an informed decision about the care you recieve for your accident related injuries..  I want you to know the truth about car accidents almost everyone out there doesn’t seem to want you to know.  I know that in most cases I can help.

What Is A Surface EMG Test?  Why Is This
One Of The Best Ways To Detect Hidden Injuries?

One of the types of equipment I use when performing an evaluation is called a Surface Electromyography Unit (SEMG).  What it does is measure muscle activity in your back and neck to determine if you have a structural injury in your back and/or neck that’s causing your muscles to not work properly.

The test itself is quick, easy, and painless.  (It takes three minutes and doesn’t require you to get undressed or anything.)  In fact, the only reason I have it in my practice is because it’s so perfect for doing this one job.  In addition to helping me determine where your injuries are it is a valuable documnetation tool.

 If your injuries are the result of someone else's negligience, while it is not my job to determine fault it is my job to properly document your condition and care so that whoever it is that represents you can properly handle your case.

If you do have a lawsuit or believe your injuries were the resulst of someone or something else what’s important is that you document your injuries now!  Because not doing so may make any injuries you have get worse and they will become more difficult to treat down the road (meaning keeping you in pain longer), and it may also hurt your personal injury case if you decide to pursue legal counsel.

Even if you feel okay right now, if you were in an accident, you still run a high risk of suffering from a hidden injury.  It’s best to play it safe now and get checked out to make sure you really are okay.

 The slightest injury, even one that you don’t feel right now, may lead to a terrible condition down the road called ‘osteoarthritis.’  While it is possible to treat it, it takes a long time, and sometimes is impossible to cure 100%.  Worse yet, you may have to foot the bill!  And all because someone hit you 20 years before!

If you haven't already been looked at, or are unhappy with the care you have received to date while this is still fresh in your mind, call my office at (239) 481-8811 and pick a time convenient for you to come in for your accident injury evaluation.  If you are calling after the office closes for the day, don't worry I offer a 24 hour answer hot line that transfers all my calls to either myself or a staff member so that we can answer your question and get you on the right track to better health, day or night.

Your accident’s been a big enough hassle already, from getting your car fixed, to dealing with your insurance adjuster.  That’s why we’re dedicated to working around your schedule so you can go about living your life on your terms.

If your test turns up positive, and you are suffering from a hidden injury, then we recommend you consider getting a lawyer to represent your case.  Choosing a good, qualified lawyer is extremely difficult and, if you’d like, we’ll even give you a list of attorneys to choose from.  If you already have legal counsel rest assured we will cooperate with them by sending them timely reports and documentation about the objective findings pertinent to you; this includes any x-ray or MRI reports we receive from hospitals and other doctors who you have previously seen.

Whatever you decide to do, remember, you need to document your injuries as soon as possible in order to get the care you may need and the settlement you may deserve, and to do that, you need to be checked out by a doctor with the training and experience to diagnose and treat the hidden injuries we’ve talked about in this report.

If children were in your car, it’s vital they are evaluated to ensure their bodies are in good working order and are not subjected to unnecessary pain, suffering, or physical problems later in life.  Don’t worry, if we detect an injury, our care is both safe and effective for children of all ages.