Chiropractic “Only
Proven Effective Treatment” for Chronic Whiplash
Over the last ten years, a great deal has been written on the
problem of whiplash biomechanics, but little study has been done on
treatment of whiplash injuries. As the authors of a new study write,
“Conventional treatment of patients with whiplash symptoms is
disappointing.” 1
This study examined the effectiveness of chiropractic treatment in
patients with chronic whiplash pain. The mean time from injury to
treatment was about 12 months.
The authors began with 93 patients with chronic whiplash pain and
divided them into three groups:
Group I: patients with “neck pain radiating in a
‘coat hanger’ distribution, associated with restricted range of neck
movement but with no neurological deficit.”
Group II: patients with “neurological symptoms,
signs or both in association with neck pain and a restricted range of
neck movement.”
Group III: patients who described “severe neck
pain but all of whom has a full range of motion and no neurological
symptoms or signs distributed over specific myotomes or dermatomes.”
These patients also “described an unusual complex of symptoms,”
including “blackouts, visual disturbances, nausea, vomiting and chest
pain, along with a nondermatomal distribution of pain.”
The patients underwent chiropractic treatment for 4.1 months, with
a mean of 19.3 treatments per patient. The patients were graded before
and after treatment on a four-point scale that described their
symptoms:
- Grade A was the absence of symptoms.
- Grade B patients had symptoms described as a nuisance.
- Grade C patients had symptoms that were intrusive.
- Grade D patients had symptoms considered disabling.
The authors found that in Group I, 72% of the patients improved;
in Group II, 94%; and in Group III, only 27% of the patients
reported improvement. So, there seem to be certain factors that can
increase or decrease the effectiveness of chiropractic with these
patients.
The study discusses the ramifications of the findings:
“Woodward et al2 found improvement in
chronic symptoms in 26 of 28 patients (93%) following chiropractic
treatment. Our results confirm the efficacy of chiropractic, with
69 of our 93 patients (74%) improving following treatment.
“Our study suggests that such a group of nonresponders does
exist, represented by group 3. The defining characteristics of
patients in this group were the full range of neck movement in
association with neck pain, bizarre symptoms, female sex and
ongoing litigation. The mean age of the group at 29.5 (16-43) was
lower than that of the other two groups (mean 36.8, range 18-65).
“The results from this study provide further evidence that
chiropractic is an effective treatment for chronic whiplash
symptoms. However, our identification of a group of patients who
fail to respond to such treatment, highlights the need for a
careful history and physical examination before commencing
treatment.”
The authors conclude:
“Whiplash injuries are common. Chiropractic is the only proven
effective treatment in chronic cases.”
- Khan S, Cook J, Gargan M, Bannister G. A symptomatic
classification of whiplash injury and the implications for
treatment. Journal of Orthopaedic Medicine 1999;21(1):22-25.
- Woodward MN, Cook JCH, Gargan MF, Bannister GC. Chiropractic
treatment of chronic whiplash injuries. Injury 1996;27:643-645.
