Can you get a concussion from whiplash?
Quick Summary: Can you get a concussion from whiplash? Whiplash and concussions have nearly identical mechanisms of injury and symptoms on paper, but they are different injuries that require different treatments. Here's a quick way to remember their relationship: All concussions have whiplash (despite what law firm websites may say), but not all whiplash comes with a concussion. And to make things more confusing, treatments can look similar between the two. Let's break that down a bit.
Concussion vs. Whiplash Symptoms
Now, if these injuries are so similar - what makes them different?
Orthopedic vs. Metabolic.
Whiplash is an orthopedic injury that causes strain (muscle/tendon) or sprain (connective tissue) injury to the area of your cervical spine. Research suggests it takes ~4-5gs of linear acceleration force to cause whiplash.
A concussion is a neurometabolic injury that co-occurs with cervical strain/sprain. The "neurometabolic" piece refers to the neurometabolic cascade that occurs when enough force causes the brain to stretch and shear. Research suggests it takes ~70-160gs of linear acceleration force to cause a concussion.
You can see that the force needed to sustain a concussion is ~14-32X greater than the force required for whiplash. This simply means we cannot ignore your neck when evaluating and managing your concussion.
How do symptoms overlap?
It comes down to the trio relationship between your neck, eyes, and ears.
Eyes -> Visual System
Ears -> Vestibular System
Neck -> Proprioception
If you imagine this trio as a band, where each system is an instrument, all the instruments must play the same song, or it will sound like garbage.
Visual System -> Vocals
Vestibular System -> Guitar
Proprioception -> Drums
Concussion vs. Whiplash Testing
Since we know that symptoms are nearly identical, we can't then use your symptoms as a "100% true" way to differentiate concussion from whiplash. This distinction can only come from a quality physical exam, and exercise tolerance is a crucial part of that exam.
Whiplash: Normal exercise tolerance (or delayed intolerance) + Cervical spine orthopedic findings
Concussion: Early exercise intolerance + Cervical spine orthopedic findings
Concussion vs. Whiplash Treatment
These conditions are so similar in mechanism and symptoms that treatment components can often look familiar. For someone in my office, these overlapping treatments may include
Soft-tissue/fascial manipulation
Motion Guidance visual feedback exercises
Iron Neck exercises
At-home LAX ball and resistance band mobilizations and exercises
The critical thing to remember is that any of these rehab modalities are recommended and prescribed with the context of knowing that all three systems (visual, vestibular, and proprioception) need to integrate appropriately, or the band will always sound like garbage.
No matter where you are on the injury timeline - 4 days, weeks, or years - if you'd like help "getting your band back together," consider booking a discovery call today. In my practice, we work together to make you make you resilient before or after injuries. I offer in-person care here in Arizona and virtual concussion/PCS programs for folks outside the state and abroad. Over the course of our visits, we dive deeply into autonomic, metabolic, visual/vestibular, cervical, and psychological assessment and screening. By completing this comprehensive assessment in a matter of 2-3 weeks, patients are provided with a comprehensive rehab plan that can shave months off their recovery times.
Request an appointment below for your consultation to begin working together.