Cervical Whiplash

Constant pain in the neck and arms can be very debilitating, especially if your movement is severely restricted. Whiplash suffered in a car accident can cause such severe pain. If after a significant period of time, the pain disappears and no other treatment options do not improve the situation, may be a candidate for cervical fusion.

To understand how the fusion neck can help you eliminate your pain and is essential to understand the basic parts of the spine. The spine is made up of 24 vertebrae, or small pieces of circular bone that line, one above the other. The different sections of the column are given specific names to help their identification. The vertebrae are called the upper cervical vertebrae are the neck. Between each vertebra there is a padded disc that absorbs shock and keeps the bones separated from each other. At the back of each vertebrae is a small hole that allows the spine nerve, known as the spinal cord to run through, protected from external forces.

When these discs are damaged, the bones rub against each other and the many nerves in the spine, which causes severe pain. If a patient suffers a sudden injury that hurts your back or neck, these discs may be pushed out of place. This is often painful because they can not do their job if they are to cushion the bones out of position. Naturally over time, these discs are filled with fluid and swells less dehydrated. This also puts the vertebrae in dangerously close proximity to one another. There is a possibility that the closure of the disk may break up and make it no longer is useful. The pain can also be caused by stimulation of the bone. These pieces are sharp bones that grow outside of the vertebrae and other bone rubs or aggravate the nerves. Cervical fusion can help solve some of these problems.

To relieve pain, a surgeon creates a small incision in the patient’s neck, just below the chin. The surgeon will remove the problem most likely because the disk has been broken. A piece of bone is inserted to fill the disk space once occupied, so that the height of the vertebral column and the distance between the vertebrae remains the same. This piece of bone or hip bone taken from the patient’s iliac crest, or a bone bank. Both options have their advantages and obstacles. The fusion of bones is a bit more successful in cases of an autogenic bone graft (which comes from the patient’s own body). However, this requires an additional step to the surgical process, the more pain and recovery time. Loempelt a (piece of bone from a bone bank) reduces healing time, but could not melt as well as other bones. If all goes well, the bones are fused into a single larger piece of bone, which reduces the possibility of painful situations because bones no longer rub or pinch nerves. MedlinePlus

Whiplash Settlements

Tags: Bones, Car Accident, Cervical Fusion, Cervical Vertebrae, Cervical Whiplash, Close Proximity, Closure, Incision, Nerve, Nerves, Pain In The Neck, Parts Of The Spine, Period Of Time, Rubs, Severe Pain, Shock, Small Pieces, Spinal Cord, Treatment Options, Vertebra

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on Friday, July 16th, 2010 at 2:22 am and is filed under News and Info.
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