A review of the literature refuting the concept of minor impact soft tissue injury.
Pain Research and Management 2005Summer; 10(2):71-4
Centeno CJ, Freeman M, Elkins WL
This article cites 63 references
KEY POINTS FROM DAN MURPHY
- Minor impact soft tissue (MIST) is an insurance industry concept that seeks to identify late whiplash as a psychosocial phenomenon rather than an organic injury.
- There are a significant number of studies that refute the MIST concept, and a review of the literature does not support the validity of MIST.
- US automobile insurance companies launched the MIST concept in the mid 1990s.
- The MIST theory claimed that it is virtually impossible to sustain permanent or serious injury in a low damage car crash, yet it is supported by only a few flawed studies, because they used staged crashes that were specifically designed not to injure the participants. [Insurance companies are basing a patient's injuries on the examination of the car rather than on the examination of the patient. This is absurd.]
- Well-done studies show that lower delta Vs increase the chronic injury rate by a factor of between 2 to 4 times.
- Stiffer vehicles (with a tow-hitch on the rear) when struck, increase patient injury while reducing vehicle damage. MIST programs do not take this into account when determining injury risk.
- Well-done studies have documented "objective clinical deficits" in both men and women subjects at collisions that produced a delta V as low as 2.5 mph
- There is no connection between delta V and injury. [Very Important]
- One of the main reasons that MIST is flawed is because "studies presented at international congresses [on whiplash] show that vehicle stiffness has increased to reduce property damage in low-speed crashes." [The KEY POINT] [Stiffer vehicles have less property damage in a collision, but move more, resulting in greater occupant injury.]
- Also, whiplash injuries are increasing because seats have been made stiffer to avoid rearward occupant ejections (a byproduct of making vehicles stiffer]. As seats are made stiffer, the shear forces that injure the neck increase. [Key Point]
- "The lack of a direct link between delta V and long-term neck injury rates calls into question the validity of a no damage, no injury policy." [Very Important]
- Whiplash is proven to injure the dorsal root ganglion, cause fractures of the facet joints, tear the anterior longitudinal ligament, and injure the facet capsules. These injuries can not be detected on advanced imaging. [A Very Important Point] Whiplash residual symptoms
- Significant joint and ligament injuries occur at low speeds, and these injuries have been confirmed in live volunteers. [Very Important]
- Numerous studies have proven that the facet joints are the primary source of chronic whiplash pain, and that the chronic pain is not coming from self-limiting muscle injuries.
- Chronic whiplash patients have different sensory thresholds than normal controls, indicating that these patients feel pain that others do not.
- Another cause of chronic whiplash injury is serious, permanent injuries to the ligaments of the upper cervical region, including the alar and transverse ligaments, the posterior atlanto-occipital membrane and tectorial membranes. These ligament injuries can be visualized with high resolution [proton density weighted] MRI.
- Whiplash injured patients have a 160% to 370% increased risk for headache, thoracic and low back pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances and ill health compared to controls.
- Whiplash injured patients have a 3 fold increase of neck and shoulder pain 7 years after rear-end crash exposure, compared to controls. How Long Does Whiplash Last
- The duration of symptoms in women is significantly longer than in men.
- 70% of whiplash patients report symptoms related to the original crash 15.5 years later.
- 30-35% of patients reported that they were disabled 17 years after whiplash injury, while only 6% of controls were disabled.
- The vast majority of work published in the last 10 years does not support MIST. [Very Important]
- The MIST program does not have overwhelming scientific support. [Very Important]
DAN MURPHY. D.C., D.A.B.C.O. graduated magna cum laude from Western States Chiropractic College in 1978 and has more than 20 years of practice experience. He received his Diplomate in Orthopedics in 1986. Dr. Murphy has served as a part-time faculty member of Life Chiropractic College West since 1982. Internationally recognized for his lectures, Dr. Murphy has taught more than 1,000 seminars in the US and around the world. He currently serves as the Vice President of the ICA.
More Whiplash Information
Whiplash Injury vs Auto Crash Severity
Correlating Crash Severity with Injury Risk, Injury Severity, and Long-term Symptoms in Low Velocity Motor Vehicle Collisions... read more HERE
Whiplash Or Soft Tissue Injury & Minor Impact
Refuting the concept of minor impact soft tissue injury, a review of the literature refuting the concept of minor impact soft tissue injury... read more HERE
Whiplash Frontal Impact
Whiplash Frontal Impact Update on Low Impact Motor Vehicle Collisions, a Review Of Six Studies An in-depth investigation of accidents using 24 occupants with neck symptoms... read more HERE
Whiplash | Rear End Collisions
Whiplash Following Rear End Collisions: This is a unique study because it is a prospective study that looked at all individuals who had been exposed to the trauma of a rear-end motor vehicle collision, ... read more HERE
Whiplash | Fact or Fiction?
Whiplash: Fact or Fiction? The American Journal of Orthopedics January 2005 Jeff S. Silber, MD, Victor M. Hayes, MD. Jason Lipetz, MD, and Alexander R. Vaccaro, MD read more HERE
How long does whiplash last?
In this prospective study, 7.5 years after sustaining whiplash injury: (whiplash statistical information) read more HERE
Car Accident Injury
Your Greatest Loss May Occur After the Wreck! A minor accident?
Even a minor automobile accident can have major ill effects on your health. It may be weeks, months, even years before the problem shows itself... read more HERE
Accident Checklist of Symptoms
Take just two minutes to check for any symptoms you may have in the days and weeks following an accident. See checklist HERE
INSURANCE COMPANIES:
Insurance companies realize the many advantages of Chiropractic care for personal injury cases and routinely cover these costs for the injured... read more HERE
THE COURTS:
Chiropractic doctors who are trained and experienced in personal injury cases, such as Dr. Huber, appear as expert witnesses in courts all over the country...read moreHERE