Nearly 50% of whiplash-associated disorder (WAD) patients will develop chronic symptoms. Symptoms can range from neck and upper back pain, headache, dizziness, emotional and cognitive disturbance, referred pain, and physical dysfunctions. Fibromyalgia (FM) is a condition with characteristics of long-term, persistent symptoms. Symptoms include chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain, sleep disturbance, cognitive disturbance, fatigue, and physical dysfunctions. WAD and FM patients have similar chronic, debilitating signs and symptoms. Why is this so?
In a study, researchers evaluated cognitive loss, central sensitization, and health-related quality of life (QoL) in chronic WAD patients, FM patients, and individuals without any known chronic conditions to serve as a control group. Participants in the WAD and FM groups exhibited significant cognitive impairment, central sensitization, and decreased health-related QoL, suggesting that brain injury plays a significant role in each condition.
In WAD injuries, the mechanism of injury causing cognitive loss (the brain’s inability to process information) appears to arise from the brain slamming into the inside of the skull. In a typical rear-end collision, the brain first hits the back of the brain casing followed by the rebounding into the front of the skull, causing a concussion.
Whiplash Study
In 2011, a study found that among 58 women who went to the emergency room for a whiplash injury, three met the clinical criteria for FM three years later. Another study found that among 326 WAD patients with persistent neck pain lasting longer than three months, up to 14% met the criteria for FM. From these findings, the whiplash process could be a strong contributing factor for developing FM. A 2015 study looked at the health histories of 939 FM patients. They identified trauma as a precipitating factor in 27% of cases.
We typically associated whiplash with motor vehicle collisions. Such injuries can also occur in sports collisions, physical assaults, and falls. There’s a greater percentage of FM cases that may be due to trauma the participant simply wasn’t able to recall. Emotional trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder are also associated with an elevated risk for FM. The disease process for FM is still under review. In cases when the cause is unknown, it’s possible the condition could be the result of a cumulation of factors, including WAD.
FM and WAD patients respond very well to chiropractic care. Chiropractors are trained to examine, diagnose, and treat those presenting with FM and WAD. Studies report that the inclusion of spinal manipulation enhances recovery in acute and chronic WAD, as well as FM.
