Gelenk-Klinik

What is a whiplash syndrome?

A cervical spine syndrome, or short neck syndrome is a collective term for back pain or arm pain affecting the neck area. Usually a distinction is made between acute whiplash syndrome and chronic whiplash syndrome.
In acute cervical spine injuries caused by sudden overuse syndromes, mostly as a cause shall be established. This category includes eg the injury of the cervical spine in road accidents, the so-called whiplash cervical spine-dream. It can also acute whiplash syndromes in the context of unusual strains with strong physical activity or suspension resulting from drafts.

Chronic whiplash syndrome based mostly on degenerative changes in the load-bearing structures in the cervical spine. Especially in the area of intervertebral joints.

What causes whiplash syndrome are found for?

The causes of cervical spine syndromes need to be divided in their biomechanical causes. The largest number is made here by the degenerative changes of the cervical spine.

• Intervertebral disc changes (protrusion or herniation):
• Ligamentous disorders (disorders of straps).
• Disorders of the spinal joints.
• Osteophytic reactions (additional bone growth in the cervical spine).

Congenital developmental disorders:

• Scoliosis or Scheuermann's disease.
• Malformation in the investment of the vertebral body (wedge or block the formation of vortices).

Inflammatory disorders:

• Rheumatoid arthritis.
• Ankylosing spondylitis.
• Infectious disease of the cervical spine (called spondylitis or Spondylodiscitis by bacteria).

Metabolic disorders:

• Osteoporosis
• Rickets

Tumors:

• Primary tumors (plasmacytomas).
• Metastases.

Injuries:

• Fractures
• Whiplash injuries of the cervical spine

What types of pain may occur in the cervical spine syndrome?

The whiplash syndrome is also described as so-called Cervicobrachialgie (as the neck-shoulder-arm syndrome).
The Cercivobracialgie is a collective term for disorders of the cervical spine syndrome with various causes radiating pain in the neck area or, for example in the shoulder belt or the shoulder blade area dar.

The most common cause of whiplash syndrome is the acute blockade of spinal joints. This facet joint blocks manifest themselves in painful restriction of rotation or tilt motion of the cervical spine. This can lead to referred pain in the shoulder or arm. Reflex occurs in addition to a strain of neck muscles, so that remains even after resolution or solution of the eddy blocking a painful strained muscles or a few days.

This in healthy Cervical himself as "a stiff neck" manifesting short-term and fully reversible changes are contrary to the chronic more prolonged blockages in degenerative changes in the cervical spine. Can here it to form a chronic neck syndrome occur. This is then based on the anatomical changes in vertebral joints, a complete solution of the vertebral joints, and thus do no longer the head and neck mobility possible.

Yes after the broadcast of the complaints we can distinguish one from an upper middle like a lower cervical syndrome:
The upper cervical spine syndrome, there is often a pain in the back pulling radiation, some up to his ears in the forehead region. In this case, the change takes place in the area of the vertebral joints play a role.
The so-called Uncovertebralarthrose called a degenerative change in the cervical spine occurring only in the joints between the vertebrae.

However, middle cervical spine syndrome, the symptoms typically occur with radiating pain between the shoulder blades and over the shoulder beyond dar. It can also lead to disturbances of nerve function with corresponding symptoms occur in the arms. That is, in addition to the arm pain or numbness can also result in paralysis of the arm.

In the lower cervical spine syndrome, it is similar to the upper cervical spine syndrome to disruptions in the arm. Besides the known arm pain characteristically shows here the sensation of pain to the hand, so that this depends on the location of the pain in the hand, it can be concluded on the nerve root, which is possibly affected by the whiplash syndrome.

What treatment can help with a whiplash syndrome?

At HWS-syndrome primarily be a nerve root or cervical cord injury are excluded. This means that, particularly when recurrent cervical syndrome the entire spectrum of clinical and radiological and neurological diagnosis must be used. This includes, in addition to thorough clinical and neurological examination the diagnosis of MR imaging and electromyographic changes in the cervical spine. Can be an indication for surgery are excluded, so can the cervical spine syndrome use a wide range of conservative treatment methods. These include:

• Unblocking of chiropractic spinal joints.
• Intensive manual medicine and physical applications of heat and electrical stimulation.

If necessary. may even be necessary in individual cases, the injection of local anesthetics with neurotrophic drugs in the painful muscles or radiologically controlled even up to the facet joints. Now and then even the short-term immobilization in a neck brace during whiplash syndrome useful.

In general, the complaints sound in acute whiplash syndrome within a few days and after treatment from fairly quickly.

In chronic whiplash syndrome on the basis of degenerative changes of the cervical spine, however, with a recurring symptoms to be expected. For a complete freedom from symptoms is often not attainable. Here it is important to weigh exactly when a chronic whiplash syndrome with a balancing operation if necessary reinforcement or the use of a disc prosthesis is necessary.