If you have ever been rear-ended in a car you may have suffered from whiplash. It is the most common accident injury, and even a seemingly minor accident can cause that sudden jerking of your head backwards and forwards, leading to chronic neck and back pain, headaches, migraines or more serious injuries.
Every year there are more than one million whiplash injuries, and in Australia the incidence of whiplash disorders is about 300 per 100,000 population. Research shows that around 20% of people involved in rear-end motor vehicle accidents develop some whiplash symptoms. These symptoms can be delayed, taking days to months to appear, but if left untreated they become more difficult to treat successfully. For between 10% – 40% of patients, symptoms …show more content…
Dizziness and balance problems are very common symptoms following whiplash injuries, as there are many sensory receptors within the muscles, tendons and joints in the head, neck and cervical spine. These coordinate with signals from receptors in the inner ear and the visual system to send information to the brain to coordinate movement. So traumatic damage to any of these areas can send altered nerve signals to the brain, as well as inhibiting normal reflexes between the eyes, neck and the inner ear that control posture and balance. This is what causes imbalance and dizziness.
Vestibular Rehabilitation
Vestibular rehabilitation is a physical therapy program used for the treatment of patients with vestibular disorders. It takes advantage of the neuroplasticity of the central nervous system to retrain the brain to adapt to information from the senses to determine correct orientation and balance. Using special eye, body and head exercises, it helps the brain recognize and coordinate sensory signals, and desensitize the system to movements that provoke symptoms. The benefits of vestibular rehabilitation have been demonstrated to reduce symptoms, restore function and improve the quality of
Every year there are more than one million whiplash injuries, and in Australia the incidence of whiplash disorders is about 300 per 100,000 population. Research shows that around 20% of people involved in rear-end motor vehicle accidents develop some whiplash symptoms. These symptoms can be delayed, taking days to months to appear, but if left untreated they become more difficult to treat successfully. For between 10% – 40% of patients, symptoms …show more content…
Dizziness and balance problems are very common symptoms following whiplash injuries, as there are many sensory receptors within the muscles, tendons and joints in the head, neck and cervical spine. These coordinate with signals from receptors in the inner ear and the visual system to send information to the brain to coordinate movement. So traumatic damage to any of these areas can send altered nerve signals to the brain, as well as inhibiting normal reflexes between the eyes, neck and the inner ear that control posture and balance. This is what causes imbalance and dizziness.
Vestibular Rehabilitation
Vestibular rehabilitation is a physical therapy program used for the treatment of patients with vestibular disorders. It takes advantage of the neuroplasticity of the central nervous system to retrain the brain to adapt to information from the senses to determine correct orientation and balance. Using special eye, body and head exercises, it helps the brain recognize and coordinate sensory signals, and desensitize the system to movements that provoke symptoms. The benefits of vestibular rehabilitation have been demonstrated to reduce symptoms, restore function and improve the quality of