Some of the most damaging auto crashes can happen at low speeds that seemingly do not cause much damage to the occupants. It is estimated that approximately 3 million whiplash occurrences happen each year. As a Denver chiropractor I see auto injury patients everyday that suffer from whiplash. Among Denver chiropractors, I have additional formal education in whiplash and auto injury from the Spine Research Institute of San Diego. I completed the “Whiplash and Brain Traumatology” program taught by Dr. Arthur Croft DC, MS, MPH, FACO, who is one of the worlds foremost experts in auto injury.
As a graduate of this highly esteemed institute, I manage victims of motor vehicle trauma in order to achieve optimal clinical outcomes. Out of the 3 million whiplash victims, over half of these will experience long term or permanent pain or disability. Understandably, the victims rights must be protected through our law system. It is my job to properly and objectively document their case in a medico-legal fashion that is aligned with todays current research on the understanding of auto injuries.
In a 1996 study by Szabo and Welcher, where they conducted 10mph closing speed crashes, they found that the occupants would experience anywhere from 6.6 to 17.2 g force. Nasa astronauts experience 3g’s. More importantly, it is the time frame that vehicle’s occupant experiences this tremendous amount of acceleration. As you read this, you are experiencing 1 g, and in an auto rear end crash this can go up to 17.2 g’s in a fraction of a second. This time period makes it almost impossible for the body to react and compensate for the change in force.
As a consequence, the sudden change in force overcomes the ligaments viscoelastic properties and rupture or damage occurs.
Dr. Trent Artichoker MS, DC
Denver Chiropractic, LLC
3890 Federal Blvd Unit 1
Denver, CO 80211
303-455-2225