- You have a neck contracture. Use this collar for two weeks.
We know that a high percentage of citizens who have suffered a cervical whiplash in a collision will later develop chronic pain, fibromyalgia and/or PTSD.
Experts have tried to find the keys to turn an acute episode (mechanical trauma) into a chronic problem.
The problem affects women more, there is coexistence of psychological factors, fear of pain, lack of control, catastrophizing... and correlation with the severity of mechanical impact can’t be seen.
Experts do not include in their search something that, for me, is important:
- What did they say or do to you in the emergency room?
So imagine you're standing at a traffic light and receive a subsequent impact of another car that decided to skip it.
The ambulance comes. Someone places the collar. Neck x-rays...
- You have a contracture. A cervical sprain. You must wear this collar. Be careful when moving your neck. Take this anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxers. You might feel a little dizzy...
Well, you might be alarmist, have had stress in your childhood, sexual abuse etc. All of these have an influence, but it’s also about the professional. There are two types:
Type I: alarmist, interventionist, ominous, hypervigilant, hipertherapist...
Type II: calm, reasonable, weighted, alarmed by alarmism...
Type I makes takes x-rays, puts collars and gives muscle relaxants but gets the opposite of what was wanted: alerting the nociceptive system of a sensitive sufferer.
Type II disarms the alarm with arguments and encourages citizens to resume normal life while warning them of the ominous.
Experts do not include in their studies if the sufferer has been treated by a Type I or Type II professional.
- What did they tell you in the emergency room...?
Invariably, my patients were put a collar and were told they had a contracture. The Type I put fear in their necks.
Probably, I only see patients that were attended by Type I professionals. Those attended by Type II professionals go home without a collar and fearless and are less likely to suffer from pain later in their lives.
So, if you go to the emergency room with a "cervical whiplash", you risk having type I or II.
