Abstract
Even though the description offered to pain and dizziness is valid for both non-traumatic musculoskeletal disorders and whiplash associated disorders (WAD), the conditions are not alike. The hypothesis is that the 10% of individuals who suffer a whiplash trauma have a substantial over-activity of the most important profound muscles of the cranio-cervical junction due to overstretching of the alaria ligaments, which the others (the 90% who recover within 6 months) have not experienced. The density of muscle spindles of the oblique capitis muscles is 12 to 15 times that of the hand which stresses their importance. The equilibrium control system of patients suffered from WAD can never rest; it is under a steady barrage of misleading proprioceptive signals from the neck which creates continuous compensatory neck muscle tension of varying intensity. This increased muscle tension causes the release of among others arachidonic acid creating pain and the process is ongoing. Thus, the vicious circle of the equilibrium control system is also the motor for the vicious circle of pain. The difference between WAD and non-traumatic neck disorders are documented by smooth pursuit neck torsion test.
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