Blood Samples Reveal Risk of Chronic Whiplash
Chronic whiplash symptoms are devastating problems for so many people, effecting up to 50% of those with whiplash injuries.
These are huge numbers of people suffering from their injuries over long periods of time.
Researcher find lab markers called cytokines demonstrating risk for Chronic Whiplash.
Cytokines are proteins released from the immune system which change cell communication.
Immediately after injury, the immune system releases pro-inflammatory cytokines that help start the process of repair and recovery.
Researcher find people who recover more quickly from whiplash injuries have certain changes in immune system derived cytokine levels that people suffering from chronic whiplash symptoms and injuries do not.
From the research abstract on whiplash (link at bottom of article)…
“Little is known about the presence of inflammation and its association with symptom persistence or the clinical presentation of whiplash associated disorders.
This study aimed to prospectively investigate changes in serum inflammatory biomarker levels from the acute (<3 weeks) to chronic (>3 months) stages of whiplash injury.
It also aimed to determine relationships between biomarker levels and hyperalgesia, fatty muscle infiltrates of the cervical extensors identified on MRI and psychological factors.
The recovered/mild disability whiplash associated disorders group had higher levels of TNF-α at both time points than both the moderate/severe whiplash associated disorders group and healthy controls.
Moderate relationships were found between hyperalgesia (increased sensitivity to pain resulting in greater pain) and CRP (inflammatory marker, C-reactive protein) at both time points and between hyperalgesia and IL-1β 3 months post injury.
There was a moderate negative correlation between TNF-α and amount of fatty muscle infiltrate and pain intensity at 3 months.
Only a weak relationship was found between CRP and pain catastrophising and no relationship between biomarker levels and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSD was found in 20%).”
- Initially all whiplash patients had higher levels of a pro-inflammatory cytokine C-reactive protein (CRP). CRP is a marker of overall inflammation in the body.
- 3 months after the injury some of the patients had reduced CRP levels which was associated with a better recovery and reduced incidence of chronic whiplash.
“The results of the study indicate that inflammatory biomarkers may play a role in outcomes following whiplash injury as well as being associated with hyperalgesia and fatty muscle infiltrate in the cervical extensors.”
Whiplash and Chronic Whiplash Symptoms Are The Result Of Complex Injuries and Systems In Our Bodies.
Unfortunately, most doctors do not understand what is happening with whiplash and chronic whiplash that are causing the symptoms.
This is why it’s so important that people injured in an accident get the right care from a health care provider that is experienced in treating these types of crash related injuries.
There are many factors that contribute to better recovery including general health of the injured person, their age, gender, size, and more.
Early movement based treatment that is the domain of chiropractors has been shown to help people get better by minimizing scar tissue formation, reducing pain/chronic pain, and getting people moving earlier in their recovery without medications or surgery.
This isn’t to say that medications might not help with severe symptoms, in some cases it can help people…
However…
Chiropractic treatment in conjunction with this is still a critical part of care.
The right chiropractic care can really help injured people recover to reduce the chances of chronic, often lifelong, symptoms that can interfere with work, home, hobbies, and quality of life.
Chiropractic care has been shown to reduce CRP, the very marker that was shown above that leads to chronic whiplash pain.
The reason why so many people end up suffering is, in my opinion, because they didn’t get the right care and that’s the real problem. It doesn’t have to be this way for many.
If you’ve been injured in a Texarkana area motor vehicle accident, come see us. We’re here to help you like I have helped thousands of others involved in car crashes over the last 20 years in Texarkana.
Dr. Marc Hagebusch
Reference
Sterling M, Elliot JM, Cabot PJ. The course of serum inflammatory biomarkers following whiplash injury and their relationship to sensory and muscle measures: a longitudinal cohort study. PLoS One 2013. 8(10):e77903. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0077903.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0077903
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