Fact: Ligamentous Injuries can result from CAD trauma and result in significant permanent impairment.
Ligamentous injury is at the core of all CAD
(CervicalAcceleration/Deceleration) injuries.
Ligaments have poor vascular (blood) supply and don’t heal well.
Ligaments that are stretched beyond their anatomical limit suffer “plastic deformity” (they stayed stretched permanently).
Fact: Ligament Injury Causes Spinal Instability (Laxity)
- Whiplash injury to the anterior spinal structures in the lower cervical spine can result in instability in extension, axial rotation and lateral bending (Stemper et al., 2005).
- All 3 grades of strain leave the ligament with permanent bodily damage (Torrez & Dupree, 2005).
- No treatment currently exists to restore an injured tendon or ligament to its normal condition (Birth Defects research (Part C) 75:226-236, 2005).
- Despite remodeling (healing), the biomechanical and mechanical properties of healed tendon tissue never match those of intact tendons. (The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburg and Ireland, Surgeons 3:5; 309-316 2005).
Fact: Upper Cervical Ligament Injury causes Cervicogenic Headaches
Connective Tissue Bridges between Muscle and Dura in the Upper Cervical Spine
Fact: CAD trauma can cause over-stretching of cervical ligaments beyond their anatomical limit with “plastic deformity”.
The over-stretching, or excessive distension (hyper-elongation), of the cervical ligaments can result in “plastic” deformity” vs. “elastic deformity”, resulting in major permanent destruction of the ligament.
Fact: “Sub-failure” (stretch only) Ligamentous Injuries can be as serious as a complete tear.
Biomechanical research has proven the following:
- Stretch (distension) damage of ligaments resulted in abnormal laxity equal to having “no ligamentous support” at all!!!
- Partial injury to these ligaments resulted in laxity equivalent to “completely compromised” ligaments.
- The Journal of Biomechanics recently reported that WAD trauma causes damage to the alar ligaments in 66% of whiplash victims. (Fice)