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| The DMX is the only diagnostic tool that
specifically addresses the number one and number two most common whiplash
injury complaints: posterior neck pain and headaches. |
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| Auto accident injuries occur in less than 3 milliseconds, too quick for the body’s nervous system and muscular structure to react and protect. This leaves only bones and ligaments to protect the body. Since cervical bones are rarely broken, the connective tissues are most commonly injured. Ligaments are the connective tissue that attach bone to bone. The purpose of ligaments is to keep bones in proper position. It has been suspected that ligaments are damaged easily, but until now, it has been difficult to diagnose ligamentous injuries. DMX can demonstrate these injuries. Current research has found that after whiplash injury, ligamentous injuries are extremely common in the cervical spine. These ligamentous injuries are usually not complete failures (tears) of a particular anatomincal structure, but represent, instead, sub-failure injuries (stretched ligament). The decreased function and pain associated with whiplash trauma may be explained by these sub-failure injuries. Although static imaging methods such as MRI are sufficient for identifying disc injuries, often they lack sufficient resolution to identify these sub-failure injuries. The number one complaint after whiplash injury is posterior neck pain, (indicating possible Facet injury, or damaged Capsular ligaments). The second most common complaint is headache, stemming usually from C0-C1-C2 region of the spine (indicating possible damage to Alar, Accessory or Transverse ligaments.) These two regions are contained within the upper 30% of the cervical spine. The upper 30% of the cervical spine and posterior aspect of the cervical spine contains no discs, just ligaments. MRI is the gold standard for evaluating vertebral discs. MRI routinely evaluates the anterior lower 70% of the cervical spine, where the vertebral discs are located. The upper 30% of the posterior aspect of the spine contains no discs. Thus, the MRI does not evaluate the most common injuries from whiplash. The DMX is the only diagnostic tool that specifically addresses the number one and number two most common whiplash injury complaints: neck pain and headaches. Digital Motion X-Ray is a valuable diagnostic method in evaluating painful cervical instabilities due to post traumatic pathology of the capsular and axial ligaments. It is of primary importance in the care of the patient to establish the presence of ligamentous damage, as these ligaments heal slower and often don’t heal completely. Long term degenerative damage can result from connective tissue injuries. This new technology objectively and visually demonstrates aberrant movement of bones allowing the radiologist to specifically determine which ligaments or other soft tissues are injured. DMX provides “demonstrable” or “observable” evidence of the injury. |
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