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.
Treatment of whiplash depends on the wide variety of symptoms present.
Unfortunately, most treatments of whiplash have not been well tested to
determine their effectiveness.
The most important issue in the management of whiplash is optimal education
of the patient about their injury. This includes information on the cause,
potential treatments, and likely outcomes. Patients should understand that this
is a real injury, but that nearly all patients have the ability to fully
recover. Patients that do not receive this information are much more likely to
develop the more chronic "whiplash associated disorder."
Often the initial treatment for whiplash has been a soft cervical collar. The
goal of the collar is to reduce the range of motion of the neck and to prevent
any additional injuries. More recent studies have shown that more prolonged
immobilization actually slows the healing process.
Patients involved in early
range of motion exercises have been shown to have a more reliable and rapid
improvement in their symptoms. This treatment typically involves rotational
exercises performed 10 times per hour as soon as symptoms allow within the first
four days of the accident.
It seems that excessive rest and immobilization have been shown to have
greater chances of chronic symptoms. This is explained by loss of range of
motion leading to increased pain and stiffness. Immobilization also causes
muscle atrophy (muscle wasting) and decreased blood flow and healing of damaged
muscles.
Physical therapy can be useful in helping to wean a patient from a cervical
collar as well as to help strengthen muscles and reduce painful motions.
Occupational therapy can be used to help return the patient to the work
environment.
If the patient begins to develop psychological symptoms including anger,
anxiety or depression following an injury, prompt treatment of the emotional
condition is recommended. This can help the patient better understand the good
chances for successful recovery and reduce the chances of chronic symptoms.
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.
Chronic Pain RSS
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