Concussion versus Whiplash

True, Concussion is to the Brain, but a head hit can leave you with a Whiplash which involves the neck and spinal cord, and something in-between  is Post Traumatic Syndrome (PTS). If you think your head is a blur, the experts are more so blurred to what’s what.

Concussion is reversible by several treatment protocols, because it is self diagnosed it may be erroneously by most patients or family as a cause and then effect, when it is (self) mis-diagnosed from the more respond-able Post-Traumatic Syndrome (PTS) to the upper spinal cord which is close to the upper cervical spine and lower with Whiplash in the neck. True Concussion is diagnosed by a medical expert only, self diagnosed patients are self diagnosed, we treat concussion symptoms and we refer to medical experts when chiropractic care is shown to be ineffective, and/or the symptoms have been getting worse over time and more likely true concussion. It is best to start at the medical route to check for all the differentials in the beginning. Self diagnosed Concussion is usually short lived, and resolves; where continuing it may reflect whiplash and or PTS or true concussion. All people who become patients get better, so their concussion was closer to PTS and or whiplash. People who wont come in we feel are aware of the seriousness and prefer the medical route of drugs to ease the symptom, not helping the cause.

Concussion leaves your brain addled, and the PTS component exists until treated (lasts years or longer), affects eye balance, leaves with short term memory loss, tiredness, lethargy, apathy. Concussion is where the force entry, force exit or both involve the head. Can involve parts of the brain, skull, Cerebro-Spinal-Fluid (CSF), meninges, brain stem, spinal cord, affects sensory and motor cortex of brain, face and jaw. Most leave without memory of a concussion incident unless a witness imprints it on their mind. Where the brain is shaken around and when finished wobbling it is not where it started its position, the brain may have swelling or not, and it settles in to its new position. Early indicators mis-understood as middle ear problems or tonsils swelling, ADHD, migraines, head problems, disturbed senses that change when you roll over and are upside down, a lot of issues stem from unsuccessful treatment of concussion, and may well be leading to so called mental illness. Memory loss of new things particularly over weeks. Some true concussions improve after treatment of the PTS and / or Whiplash, the more health practitioners working as a team greatly improve improvement – ‘many hands make light work’.

Whiplash is reversible: Becomes complex over decades with smaller dings and dongs adding obtuse stress to tissue, gets better with some specific care home and in office. Whiplash can occur with or without concussion, often becomes symptomatic eighteen months from each injury, each whiplash. Involves the head moving beyond where it is, so side whiplash the head moves sideways past the shoulder, forward whiplash the head goes past the chest, rear whiplash head goes backward. Whiplash looks like in slow motion the head goes past itself one or more times in numerous directions. Head and neck upsetting blood vessels, lymphatics, nerves, the way things feel, tremors and shakes jolt like

Home Tests for you to check:-

1. finger on nose,
2. marching, walking
3. tandem walk eyes open/closed,
4. rub tummy and pat head,
5. eyes follow H pattern,
6. tests that were normal:- now not, poor concentration when things move,
7. swallow from a big jug of water held high

Treatment: What ever it takes, can be simple and short term all the way to long term cognitive exercises, lots of specific advice, advice needs to be written down. Treatment can be home based, clinic  based, or a mix. You can stop and start PTS and Whiplash treatment for some odd reason the body adapts and stabilizes periodically. When a test is found to have a problem, the test is repeated after treatment to ascertain the effectiveness of the treatment regarding the test.

whiplash repeated episodes: leads to a myriad of stupid things you don’t understand why? Stops healing, ‘ads insult to injury’

• walking into doors
• walking into furniture
• closing car door into head getting in or out of car
• opening door, using your head as a brake

How much force gives vehicle Whiplash:

1. 4 mph or 7 km will do it
2. hitting car on gutter,
3. car park touching concrete blocks,
4. speed bumps,
5. gutters.
6. Colliding into someone or something or both without being aware
7. coming to a stop very abruptly.
8. Hitting the brakes hard at 42 km’h to stop will give a whiplash, or faster over a greater area.
9. When people collide for any reason; the person intent on doing the collision ‘is prepared’ and gets minimal to no whiplash.
10. The unsuspecting recipient gets the injury, like getting a chair pulled out when you go to sit, and landing on your bum unawares.

TECHNIQUE TIDBIT THE IMPORTANCE OF CEREBROSPINAL FLUID (CSF) “The CSF fluctuates with hemodynamic changes is most strongly affected by respiratory and vascular related pressure variants. Independent of these vascular or respiratory influences,cranial practitioners have found an independent pulse wave called the cranial rhythmic impulse by De JarnetteThis pulse wave is subtle and is purportedly influenced  by changes in brain, spinal cord, and glial cells dynamics creating a wave like motion akin to a back and forth and side to side fluid motion at a frequency approximately 8-12 times per minute.” Dr Martin Rosen Educator 30 April 2018 Chaitow L, Cranial manipulation theory and practice: osseous and soft tissue approaches,Churchill Livingstone: Edinburgh, London, 1999: 56-7. The Effects of Cerebrospinal Fluid Temperature control (cranial anti-freeze) Increased temperature leads to a tendency for seizure activity Increase CSF can cool areas of the brain Waste removal Nutrition Cranial bone motion and dural tension Protective barrier Chemical buffer Physical buffer Gives the brain buoyancy, physical and chemical support The importance of proper CSF motion and production is paramount for normal central nervous system function.  For more information on cranial anatomy and physiology check our our Introduction to Cranial Evaluation and Adjusting DVD or Streaming Video Excerpted from “Pediatric Chiropractic Care”.  This and other techniques can be found on our DVDs and Streaming Videos.

ABOUT THE PRACTITIONER

Dr Steve has helped many people with a strong empathy for there journey.

In the early 1980’s his concussion and whiplash x-rays and neurological evaluation were now better than normal thanks to excellent chiropractic care from the Summer Hill Clinic, RMITU led by Dr Thommas F Bergmann (NWHSU).

Inspired to help others in whiplash and concussion; Dr Steve joined SES Road Accident Rescue (RAR) in 1980 as a volunteer for 10 years to reduce head injury and served as an anatomist at Uni working with heads, Dr Steve used these skills to assist the Coroner & Anatomists; Assistant Pathologist to measure types of trauma in serious head injuries, and interviewed victims while trapped. His greatest inspiration was from the Chicago Trauma Centre in the 1990’s on how a little can change everything to be much more better. His inspirational trauma teacher was ‘Big Jack from Knox’.
September 2019 Dr Steve is Queensland Fire & Rescue, First Officer & Trainer in the Rural Fire Brigade (RFS). 2020 Dr Steve received 10 years service award with Redcliffe State Emergency Service.

While writing this, we paused, Tuesday 17th August 2021 Dr Steve was requested and urged as SES team leader attended a Multi Emergency Service Search & Rescue Land Search on foot on Mount Beerwah in the Glass House Mountains, while last Friday he celebrated his 60th Birthday, 45 years in uniform; Dr Steve has no limits to help anyone, anywhere with a health problem, every single day Dr Steve responds to SES, RFS QFES as a volunteer carrying phones, radios, pagers and alarm systems, laptops, internet ready to take charge at a moments notice; he has bags, suitcases, grab bags he piles into his bus; he will go in alone or lead fire trucks, last week he was hospitalized as a fire fighter by a vicious dog attack, and drove his fire appliance 45 minutes to hospital Emergency, then back to the fire station, then home to help patients. As good as he leads, he follows even better, the ultimate hero team player in the daily responses of emergency services calls, emails, txt and messages – all as a volunteer!!!