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Long Term Whiplash Injury Symptoms


Hi everyone
                  I was injured slightly in a RTA car accident or so I thought at the time !   It was just over two years ago now and the time I was travelling @ around about 35-40 miles an hour , I didn't think much about the accident at the time until I started getting all sorts of different symptoms after a short time,  ranging from headaches to, pain in the Neck, shoulders and arms,weakness and numbness in my arms and hands & tingling too ,dizzy spells and feeling sick, forgetfulness, anxiety , poor concentration, loss of memory, I couldn't sleep also for the severe pain at night.

The thing that I am most worried about is the pain that I am experiencing down the front of my legs and in my back since all this occured. It is very difficult for me to walk even a short distance some days this is making me feel very depressed at times.

I already was suffering from Osteoarthritis and Cervical Spondylosis , before this accident happened and now it is much worse , I am at my wits end and don't know what to do  or who to contact about this pain in my legs or my back !

Could anyone help me and also recommend what I should do or who I should see, I have told my GP about this on numerous occasions but he says nothing. He only gives me different medication to try.

I have been on Oxycodone slow release 5 & 10 mg capsules, Fentanyl 25mg slow release patches, Ibruprofen 400mg tabs and Co-dydromol 30/500mg tabs

Dosage as below:

20mg of Oxycodone , 1 X 400mg Ibuprofen max strenght , 2 X 30/500mg Co-dydromol  every 6 hours ,

and also 2 X 25mg Fentanyl patches every 3 days too.

All Medical  & Professional Help and advice received gratefully, other comments from interested helpful parties too.

ThankYou


This discussion is related to long term whiplash symptoms.
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Avatar universal
Whiplash injury
by Longrangesniper1953, 1 hour ago
Tags: Whiplash, pituitary, testosterone, months
Hi everyone
                    Now after all this time and seeing several specialist , but not a NeuroSurgeon , and after test to see if I was having problems with my pituitary gland or associated conditions they now have decided to start giving me Testosterone injections to see if this will help my condition my Doctor says my Testosterone level is very low, its only taken about 30 months to get to this stage, and another month I suppose before the injections start !  watch this space.

Oh and all this deterioration happened after a RTA ?

Please tell me what you think !

Regards
             Stev
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I had a car accident about 22 years ago , where I flipped the  vehicle twice and it landed on its top. I  went to the emergency room , was ex-rayed, and they said no injury was detected. During the following year I experienced severe burning between my shoulder blades doing the sewing job that I had. The pain got worse and worse. Finally got to where I was so dizzy I could not get out of the bed. Also severe headaches, like someone was hitting me in the head with a hammer. Starting going to the Chiropractor, and it relieved my symptoms quite a lot. But I still have episodes with dizziness, sometimes so severe that I can't stand. And then my neck gets stiff. If I try to move my neck backwards or to far forwards, the dizziness is increased. Does anyone have any suggestions what further I could do?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I would like to thank you all very much for all your interesting and I hope helpful comments, as I try to go forward from here I will of course try to keep you all informed of any updates from here on , I would like to thank you all for your assistance once more.Best Regards.

Many Thanks
         Steve
Helpful - 0
144586 tn?1284666164
Appropriate pain medications would include minocycline, semi-synthetic second generation tetracycline, and propentofylline, a typical methylxanthine.

Both medications are effective with calming down glial cell pain.

Discuss these with your physician.
Helpful - 0
144586 tn?1284666164
Chronic pain such as you are experiencing is caused by overly excited pain-sensing neurons that signal without external stimuli.

Traditional drugs (opiates) do not quiet these abnormally sensitive messengers, which are cells called glia.

For a complete understanding of this kind of pain and the effective drugs consult the "Scientific American" November 2009, which provides a comprehensive discussion of the problem. Curiously, some antibiotics, normally prescribed ror bacterial infections, eliminate glial pain.
Helpful - 0
144586 tn?1284666164
The problems are generaly due to what is called a subluxion injury, which only shows up months after the event. It is particuliarly evident when the head is flexed forcibly.

There are many theories about how the pain develops.

Here's one. When there is inflamation the body "believes" that repair must take place. This repair often consists of depositing calcium, as in repairing a broken bone. The problem is there are nerves that travel through very narrow openings. The inappropriate deposition of calcium decreases the space through which the nerve pass.

As the inflamation becomes chronic, more and more deposits fill the space.

A human being begins at that point to "self-splint". That is to avoid movement that causes pain. And the pain may be intense. Level ten.

Opiates don't work because the nerve pain utilizes different receptor sites.

The absolute worst thing to do is to prescribe a cervical collar, but unfortunately that is often the standard (but obsolete) treatment protocol.

At this point there is a difficult decision to make. Can the deposits be broken or sheared off by movement of the head through the limits of pain or is surgery necessary?

A patient is fearful of movement because every gut sense tells you that movement through pain means you are dammaging nerves, but in the case of a subluxion injury this is not necessarily the case.

I can't answer this one, but in many cases forceful movement will break off these crystals and the pressure on the nerve will be relieved.

To promote this situation axial traction is absolutely necessary, plus range-of motion exercises (goniometry) together with two anti-inflammatories, generally prednisone and ibuprufin. And a baby aspirin a day.

This should be done under the care of a physician who goes along with this protocol.

Diet is also important, to include removal of nightshades from the diet, which cause inflamation.

Helpful - 0
1093617 tn?1279302002
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hi, Thank you for your question. Usually, such symptoms may result due to post-concussion syndrome and may last for weeks or months after the injury that caused from the injury of a fall, vehicle accident, or sports injury.  For treatment approach, first it is essential to get (MRI) done to detect the brain or spinal abnormalities after that injury. Treatment commonly may be suggested for symptoms such as pain-killers, some antidepressants, physical therapy and regular exercises. If you suffer continuous headache, please arrange an appointment with a neurologist right away who will evaluate the possibilities here and can provide you an appropriate treatment. Further referral to a psychologist may be also helpful in order to treat usual anxiety or depression after such injuries (sometimes one may have) that may be one of the aggravating factors for persistent symptoms. Hope this information proves helpful to you. Take Care & Regards!!!

Helpful - 0
144586 tn?1284666164
First of all get off the oxycodone and the Fentanyl. And the Co-dydromal.

Totally innappropriate.

You should have been provided with an axial-traction device, and been taking anti-inflammatories (starting with prednisone and ibuprufin, then going to only ibuprufin)  while recieving short sessions of axial traction for ten to fifteen minutes with a two hour break and then another treatment all day long. Prednisone is commonly started at 60 mg for four daya, then cut to 40 for three days, then to twenty for a week and then fifteen for a month, then ten, and finally five. You need about four months of axial traction.

If you have not been prescribed axial traction find another physician.

You need to maintain good hydration and keep your blood sugar levels down. High glucose levels increase pressure on the nerves through osmolysis.

Metformin (prescribed for diabetes) will help, although it is not approved. It works by lowering glucose levels, which reduces pressure on the nerves.

And a pain specialist with experience in subluxion injuries.

Then you should have been provided with a TENS device. For pain. The TENS will work. Accupuncture also helps.

Do NOT wear a cervical collar. It degrades muscle tone.

Do NOT take muscle relaxants or have ultrasound therapy.

Thanks to inappropriate medical advice you have ended up paralyzed.

And it will get worse. The natural tendency is not to move through the limit of pain. In a subluxion injury that means your range of motion becomes progressively limited until finally you have a frozen shoulder and need a walker.

Then you should have been advised to exercise your head through the limits of pain. This doesn't sound logical, but it is the only way to diminish the pain. Three hundred and sixty degree rotations.
Helpful - 0
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