Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/72098
springs and catapults the person up and forward, throwing knees into the dash and steering column. Seats that recline can put the headrest too far away to be helpful.18 HOW COMPLICATED IS WAD? Symptoms associated with WAD vary: changes in vision, dizziness, fatigue, headaches, numbness and tingling in extremities, poor health, poor posture, sleep disturbances, stiffness, vertigo, and can include back, jaw, or neck pain.19 Many sufferers are depressed, fearful, and frustrated, not understanding the origin of their poor health.20 Clients can exhibit acute infl ammatory trauma, neurological and cognitive conditions, psychological distress, and functional limitations. Soft-tissue trauma is likely present. This can include muscle, tendon, ligament, and fascia lesions, and bone fractures. The overstretching trauma will directly affect the neck, shoulders, and viscera, and likely affect the entire spine, nervous system and fascial system. Fractures of the vertebral bodies are possible due to compressive forces. If the head is rotated on impact, fractures can be found at the transverse processes due to shearing forces. Neurological lesions are indicated at the brain stem and nerve roots, and can affect the spinal cord directly. Cognitive dysfunction is unsettling for the client, resulting in short- term memory lapses, diffi culty concentrating, and confusion.21 Sensorimotor dysfunction can cause poor proprioception, leading to poor posture, jerky movements, and unsteady gait.22 Simple actions seem impossible. One might be mistaken for being drunk or accused of being clumsy, stumbling over curbs, and uncharacteristically dropping things. Acute infl ammatory conditions commonly result in pain, muscle spasms, or splinting. Whiplash clients often complain that it feels like their head will fall off, increasing the intensity of the muscle guarding associated with infl ammatory conditions. Scar tissue is the body's response to infl ammation, walling off the injured tissue. As the fi brosis of repair sets in, the scar tissue matures, shortens, and hardens. As people begin to move again, the scar tissue isn't as elastic or fl exible, and is torn as people attempt normal activities of daily living. This sets people up for repeated reinjury and chronic infl ammation.23 tune in to your practice at ABMPtv 119