- Whiplash Question

[Guest guest]

I used to do my own version of cranial sacral (remember I have no

training and am only doing what has been done to me - so I sorta

make it up as I go) - I've done unwinding (again, only the

preliminary since I've had no training)

Whiplash question - Rebekah has accomadative insufficiency, she also

grinds her teeth, has mild tmj problems…and looks out of the top of

her eyes (i.e., she tilts her head down.) Anyway, I was wondering

what the typical whiplash pattern is - the chiro often says she has

a typical whiplash pattern - she adjusts it, but….adjustments don't

stick. So I'm thinking that of course the adjustments don't stick,

our ligaments won't hold them and the muscles just keep pulling them

back out. I know she has tight SCM and scalenes - she has a reverse

curve in her neck. My current thought…is if the muscles are pulling

her neck out of it's natural curve, pulling on other muscles in her

jaw and eyes?

I'd like to use a combo of acupressure, trigger point therapy and

polarity/energy (what is the correct term?) and see if I can get

some of it cleared up. Of course it doesn't help her neck muscles

that she plays violin - but the downward head tilt has been there a

long time. (Have I posted this before or just thought about it that

much)

I've also been curious to the relationship between whiplash/nerve

problems and dyslexia

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Well, first off, since Upledger trademarked the term " cranialsacral

therapy " he would say " I don't know what it is you are doing – but

it isn't CST. " There is cranial osteopathy, which is taught in

virtually all of the osteopathic schools. True cranialsacral

therapy is a specific refinement and advancement of cranial

osteopathy as developed by Dr. Upledger, who happens to be a

DO. A lot of his peers are still ticked at him for trade-marking

and marketing CST as a modality. But they are really ticked at him

because he opened it up and made the training available to ALL other

health care practitioners (and even lay people in specific need

based situations). And for this I truly applaud him.

As for unwinding, there are different kinds. There is a form of

myofascial release called limb unwinding. There is also full body

unwinding (also MFR). The same thing happens in CST but it is

called a somato-emotional release. Basically, there is a physical

type of unwinding and then there are systemic unwindings that are

really emotional releases. Full blown emotional ones can get pretty

traumatic at times and can involve some extensive practitioner-

client dialoging. Which kind did you mean? (I suspect you were

referring to limb unwinding.)

There is no one typical whip-lash pattern because there are

different types of whiplash. The technical name is a cervical

acceleration-deceleration injury. The most common type is a rapid

forward motion of the head followed by an immediate rearward motion

and is usually the result of a motor vehicle accident. The head

whips forward (accelerates) and then snaps back (deceleration). You

can get the same effect, however, from an excessively forceful

sneeze. In addition, you can get side impact types of whiplash from

a T-Bone auto accident. Same result, just different specific neck

muscles involved.

And sorry, but I don't agree that the adjustments don't stick

because " our ligaments won't hold them and the muscles just keep

pulling them back out. " To begin with, for what it is worth, the

human head weighs about the same as a comparably sized bowling ball –

and it is delicately balanced on a pole (the neck) and held in that

balance by a variety of compensating muscles.

The problem is not that the ligaments are weak and the muscles are

overpowering the ligaments, causing the cervical subluxations. The

problem is that certain neck muscles have been overstressed (in this

case the muscles that hold the head in extension). They can't do

the job. What does this do in return? The antagonistic neck

muscles (those that flex the neck) end up in a chronically shortened

or " tight " position.

Now, let's test my logic on this. You said " she has tight SCM and

scalenes - she has a reverse curve in her neck. " What do these

muscles actually do? Well, the scalenes laterally flex the neck to

the same side, rotate the head and neck to the opposite side, and

FLEX the neck. The SCMs? They laterally flex the head to the same

side, rotate the head to the opposite side and FLEX the neck.

Given that, the next question is " which muscles perform the exact

opposite actions? " And here is your answer.

CERVICAL SPINE

FLEXION EXTENSION

STERNOCLEIDOMASTOID (BILATERAL) TRAPEZIUS (UPPER FIBERS, BILATERALLY)

ANTERIOR SCALENE LEVATOR SCAPULA (BILATERALLY)

LONGUS CAPITUS SPLENIUS CAPITUS (BILATERALLY)

LONGUS COLLI SPLENIUS CERVICIS (BILATERALLY)

RECTUS CAPITIS POSTERIOR MAJOR

RECTUS CAPITIS POSTERIOR MINOR

OBLIQUE CAPITIS SUPERIOR

SEMISPINALIS

It is more likely, if she has in fact had a whiplash, that she

injured her levator scapula, splenius capitus, splenius cervicis

and/or the upper fibers of her traps.

All of the above was pretty much seeing how much I could remember

off the top of my head. Now let's go get a book and actually check

it. I am using " Massage Therapy – An Approach to Treatments " by

Fiona Rattray. Cause of whiplash " Acceleration of head and neck

relative to body. "

" Muscles

Depending on the direction of impact, different muscle groups will

be affected.

Extension Injury- SCM, scalenes, infra- and supra-hyoid muscles,

longus colli, suboccipitals, levator scapulae, intrinsic neck

muscles, rhomboids.

Flexion Injury - Upper trapezius, superior nuchal ligament,

splenius capitus, seminspinalis capitus, intrinsic neck muscles.

Rotation Injury – SCM, suboccipitals, levator scapula, splenius

cervicis, intrinsic muscles of the neck.

Other – Middle trapezius and the muscles of the hand, forearm and

arm may be affected if the client was holding on to the steering

wheel at the time of impact. Pectoralis major can be affected by

seat belt injury. Knees and lumbar spine can be injured through

impact with the dashboard. "

Putting all of this differently, the SYMPTOMS are tight SCM and

scalenes but the CAUSE is most likely injury to one or more of the

muscles of neck extension. The SYMPTOM is a cervical subluxation

but the CAUSE is one or more weakened muscles. The SYMPTOM is a

forward head tilt but the CAUSE is gravity because the muscles that

act to hold that seven pound bowling ball head upright on the neck

don't have the strength to do so. Identify the symptom and look

elsewhere for the cause.

Has she had any evaluation at all for muscle injury? Is she getting

any treatment other than adjustments for cervical subluxations? No

offense meant toward your chiro because you obviously have an

outstanding one, but MOST generally don't do well with muscle

injuries because that is not how they were trained or how they

think.

If you have posted any of this before, I don't remember it. I am

also not aware of any connection to dyslexia. I am not saying there

is or isn't, just that I am not aware of any. And as for the

correct term polarity or energy, polarity is a specific type of

energy work, as is acupressure and a bunch of others. " Energy " is

just a broad catch-all term. Some people call it " energy work "

others say " vibrational medicine " and still others (like the

conventional side of the house) just say it is " quackery and

superstition " .

At any rate, digest this post and let me know what you think. I

will then take a look at trying to come up with some specific things

you can try, such as GENTLE stretches to help loosen the tight

muscles and GENTLE exercises to try to strengthen any weak muscles.