Resolution of Cervical Complications
Secondary to Motor Vehicle Accidents
by the Application of Stereotactic Cervical
Alignment (SCALE) Methods:
Statistical Review of 54 Patients

Jack Carleton
Richard Hammond
Joseph O. Obebe
Scott Rosa
Roy Sweat
Matthew Sweat
Marty Moss

ABSTRACT.

Introduction.
Cervical complications secondary to motor vehicle accidents (MVA) continues to be an area where patients experience long-term complications despite having received therapy. Many of these problems relate to the delicate structures associated with the cervical
Spine and the precise alignment needed. We report on the findings of a Specific cohort of patients from our larger multi center study that presented specifically with MVA related complications and how these patients were successfully treated with what is defined as Stereotactic Cervical Alignment (SCALE) methods.


Method.
A total of 221 patients were seen in private chiropractic practice. Inclusion criteria included existing head, neck, and shoulder pain caused by MVA. Patients who failed to complete treatment or study questionnaires were excluded. The equipment and techniques were consistent with standard SCALE methods. Patients received an average of 2.76 of treatment sessions over 11.1 weeks.

Results.
Upon entry, patients had significant debilitating pain and complications from neck injuries secondary to MVA. After application of SCALE methods, 84% of the patients experienced complete or near complete resolution of their pain and other neck related complications. All
patients reported significant improvements in their conditions with 53% of the patients experiencing complete recovery. Range of motion (ROM) and other measurements of cervical spine function also improved. These findings showed durability for the duration of the measured post-treatment period.

Conclusions. From these findings, it would appear that SCALE methods are a useful adjunct for treating specific types of neck injuries that are secondary to MVA. Further testing of this technique is currently underway to further determine its use in treating MVA and other spinal injuries.

Jack Carleton, MD, is affiliated with Crystal Run Healthcare, Middletown, NY.

RichardHammond, MD,is affiliated with Magic Valley Regional Medical Center, Twin Falls, ID.
Joseph O.Obebe, MD,FAC,is affiliated with Legacy Medical Center, Atlanta, GA and the Oconee Medical Center, Millegeville, GA.

ScottRosa, DC, BA, BCAO; RoySweat, DC, BA, BCAO andMatthewSweat, DC, BA, BCAO are all on the Board of Directors of the R.W. Sweat Foundation, Atlanta, GA.

MartyMoss, PA, BS, is affiliated with MM Medical Consulting, West Monroe, LA.

Address correspondence to: JackCarleton, MD, P.O. Box 437, Rock Hill , NY 12775

(E-mail: atlas55@hvc.rr.com).

Journal of Whiplash & Related Disorders, Vol. 5(1) 2006 doi:10.1300/J180v05n01_03 15

Available online at http://www.haworthpress.com/web/JWRD
©2006 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.


Head and Neck
This one will stare them in the face
I recall a patient asking me if a suboccipital nerve block would help her mother's neck pain. I'd just finished adjusting her atlas, and in front of her was big poster demonstrating the nerve...oh, well 
 


Chronic Daily Headache Linked to Prior Head or Neck Injury


Thomas S. May
Medscape Medical News 2007. © 2007 Medscape
May 9, 2007 — Head and neck injury (HANI) is a significant risk factor for the occurrence of chronic daily headaches (CDH), with a dose-response relationship between the 2 conditions, results of a large, population-based study indicate.
The research was conducted by James R. Couch, MD, PhD, a professor of neurology at the University of Oklahoma Medical School, in Oklahoma City, and colleagues and was presented here at the American Academy of Neurology 59th Annual Meeting.
These results suggest that head injury is a significant risk factor for chronic daily headache, and the risk is cumulative, Dr. Couch concluded. "So the effect of a head injury doesn't really go away," he said. "It's not like in the movies, where the private investigator gets a lick on the head, then runs off and catches the bad guy. In real life, there is continued risk after a serious head injury."
Frequent Headaches
"Studies have shown that 50% to 80% of patients with head injury have headaches immediately after the head injury, and 2 years later, 20% to 30% of these people still have headaches," Dr. Couch told meeting attendees. "However, the reverse situation — head injury as a risk factor for chronic daily headache — has not been studied in a controlled population," he said.
To evaluate HANI as a risk factor for CDH, the researchers analyzed data from the Frequent Headache Epidemiology Study, which surveyed 53,000 subjects in the Baltimore and Atlanta areas by telephone interview.
Subjects who reported having frequent headaches were asked whether they ever had an injury to the head or neck and, if so, whether the injury was followed by fainting or loss of consciousness. "The fainting or loss-of-consciousness question was meant to try to differentiate between those who had a more severe [injury] and [those who had a] less severe injury," Dr. Couch explained.
Subjects experiencing more than 180 headaches per year were classified as having CDH, whereas individuals with 2 to 102 headaches per year were classified as episodic headache controls. "This is the first study to look at head and neck injury as a risk factor for chronic daily headache using a control population," Dr. Couch noted.
Injuries were classified as potentially precipitating injuries if they occurred within 2 years of CDH onset (cases) or in an equivalent randomly generated 2-year period in controls.
The investigators found that after adjustment for age, sex, and headache type, CDH cases were more likely to have experienced HANI than episodic headache controls, and the odds of CDH in association with a potentially precipitating injury were also elevated.
Risk for Chronic Daily Headaches (CDH) Associated with Any Head and Neck Injury (HANI) or Potentially Precipitating Injuries (PPI) vs Episodic Headache Controls