Show Whiplash Injury Brain Damage Whiplash injury a common cause of severe pain in the neck may cause even more serious trouble Scientists at atthe atthe atthe the National Institute of Neurological Neurological Neurological Neu Neu- Diseases and Blindness Blindness Blindness Blind Blind- ness warn that whiplash injury injury injury in in- jury may sometimes cause brain concussion and bleed bleed- ing i ANY ACCIDENT that causes violent flinging of the head front to back back to front or oro orto orto to o the side may cause a whiplash injury It is most commonly a result result result re re- sult of a rear-end rear automobile collision But it can also be caused by so minor an accident accident accident ac ac- ac- ac as a fall on outstretched hands lands which may create sufficient sufficient sufficient suf suf- suf- suf force to injure the neck IF THE injury is relatively minor the ligaments supporting support support- ing the neck may be over over- stretched If it is severe discs between the neck vertebrae may be torn or ruptured The muscles of the neck the nerve or the vertebral artery also may be injured Experiments on rhesus I monkeys at the institute show that when they suffered a whiplash whiplash whip whip- lash injury 19 out of 50 of them also sustained concus concus- Fifteen of the 19 showed additional brain damage bleeding bleeding bleeding bleed bleed- ing and bruises IN THE PAST the institute points out patients may only have been treated for damage damage damage dam dam- age to the muscles and skeletal skeletal skeletal systems of the neck while brain damage went un un- noticed The investigators suggest that thai patients who suffer from disturbances of consciousness amnesia severe headache or stiff neck particularly if the symptoms persist for more moreo o than 24 hours be treated for concussion They also urge that therapy for whiplash injuries should take into account account account ac ac- ac- ac count brain as well as spinal damage |