The Journal of the American Chiropractic Association

This February 2000 article reviews new research from Japan that uses live human volunteers as test subjects in rear-impact collisions to assess the forces acting on the spine during a whiplash injury. The research validates that even in very low speed collisions, the cervical spine is forced into a S-shaped configuration that can damage facet-joints, discs, ligaments and muscles of the neck. Dr. Michael Freeman, D.C., PhD is both an epidemiologist and a chiropractor, that teaches at the Oregon Health Sciences University School of Medicine. “I’m teaching neurosurgeons, orthopedists, and medical doctors about whiplash. They are hearing about chiropractic and seeing chiropractic in a very accepted forum of medicine.”

Other research in which Dr. Freeman is involved includes a paper soon to be published in the Journal of Musculoskeletal Pain that shows absolutely no connection between the amount of damage to a vehicle and to a person involved in the same rear-impact collision. “If you are injured, whether the vehicle sustains no damage or is totaled, there is a one-in-three chance you will have chronic pain. It doesn’t matter how much-or how little-damage there is to the vehicle.