Dr. Eck received a Bachelor of Science degree from the Catholic University of America in Biomedical Engineering, followed by a Master of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering from Marquette University. Following this he worked as a research engineer conducting spine biomechanics research. He then attended medical school at University of Health Sciences. He is board eligible in orthopaedic surgery.
Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
Whiplash is a relatively common injury that occurs to a person's neck
following a sudden acceleration-deceleration force, most commonly from motor
vehicle accidents. The term "whiplash" was first used in 1928. The term "railway
spine" was used to describe a similar condition that was common in persons
involved in train accidents prior to 1928. The term "whiplash injury" describes
damage to both the bone structures and soft tissues, while "whiplash associated
disorders" describes a more severe and chronic condition.
Fortunately, whiplash is typically not a life threatening injury, but it can
lead to a prolonged period of partial disability. There are significant economic
expenses related to whiplash that can reach 30 billion dollars a year in the United
States, including:
medical care,
disability,
sick leave,
lost productivity, and
litigation.
While most people involved in minor motor vehicle accidents recover quickly
without any chronic symptoms, some continue to experience symptoms for years
after the injury. This wide variation in symptoms after relatively minor
injuries has led some to suggest that, in many cases, whiplash is not so much a
real physiologic injury, but that symptoms are more created as a result of
potential economic gain. Many clinical studies have investigated this issue.
Unfortunately, while there will always be people willing to attempt to mislead
the system for personal gain, nevertheless, whiplash is a real condition with
real symptoms.
What causes whiplash?
Whiplash is most commonly caused by a motor vehicle accident in which the
car the person is riding in is not moving, and is struck from a vehicle from behind without notice. It is
commonly thought the rear impact causes the head and neck to be forced into
hyperextension as the seat pushes the person's torso forward - and the
unrestrained head and neck fall backwards. After a short delay the head and neck
then recover and are thrown into a hyperflexed position.
More recent studies investigating high-speed cameras and sophisticated crash
dummies have determined that after the rear impact the lower cervical vertebrae
(lower bones in the neck) are forced into a position of hyperextension while the
upper cervical vertebrae (upper bones in the neck) are in a hyperflexed
position. This leads to an abnormal S-shape in the cervical spine after the rear
impact that is different from the normal motion. It is thought that this
abnormal motion causes damage to the soft tissues that hold the cervical
vertebrae together (ligaments, facet capsules, muscles).
Headaches can be divided into two categories: primary headaches and secondary headaches. Migraine headaches, tension headaches, and cluster headaches are considered primary headaches. Secondary headaches are caused by disease. Headache symptoms vary with the headache type. Over-the-counter pain relievers provide short-term relief for most headaches.
Neck pain (cervical pain) may be caused by any number of disorders and diseases. Tenderness is another symptom of neck pain. Though treatment for neck pain really depends upon the cause, treatment typically may involve heat/ice application, traction, physical therapy, cortisone injection, topical anesthetic creams, and muscle relaxants.
Depression is an illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts and affects the way a person eats and sleeps, the way one feels about oneself, and the way one thinks about things. The principal types of depression are major depression, dysthymia, and bipolar disease (also called manic-depressive disease).
Pain management and treatment can be simple or complex, according to its cause. There are two basic types of pain, nociceptive pain and neuropathic pain. Some causes of neuropathic pain includes: complex regional pain syndrome, interstitial cystitis, and irritable bowel syndrome. There are a variety of methods to treat chronic pain, which are dependant on the type of pain experienced.
An injury to a ligament is called a sprain, and an injury to muscle or tendon is called a strain. Sprains and strains may be caused by repetitive movements or a single stressful incident. Symptoms include pain and swelling. Though treatment depends upon the extent and location of the injury, rest, ice, compression, and elevation are key elements of treatment.
Chronic pain is pain (an unpleasant sense of discomfort) that persists or progresses over a long period of time. In contrast to acute pain that arises suddenly in response to a specific injury and is usually treatable, chronic pain persists over time and is often resistant to medical treatments.
Depressive disorders have been with mankind since the beginning of recorded history. In the Bible, King David, as well as Job, suffered from this affliction. Hippocrates referred to depression as melancholia, which literally means black bile. Black bile, along with blood, phlegm, and yellow bile were the four humors (fluids) that described the basic medical physiology theory of that time. Depression, also referred to as clinical depression, has been portrayed in literature and the arts for hundreds of years, but what do we mean today when we refer to a depressive disorder? In the 19th century, depression was seen as an inherited weakness of temperament. In the first half of the 20th century, Freud linked the development of depression to guilt and conflict. John Cheever, the author and a modern sufferer of depressive disorder, wrote of conflict and experiences with his parents as influencing his development of depression.
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