Whiplash and Thyroid!
IN BRIEF
PERSPECTIVE
Andrew M. Rodgers
Tyler E. Rodgers
DC
During my many years in practice, I have noticed a relationship between past chronic cervical whiplash injuries in patients with thyroid disorders. It seems apparent that there is a direct connection between chronic cervical whiplash traumas and thyroid disorders. A triad of effects of chronic cervical whiplash, brachial radiculopathy, and thyroid is most of the time accompanied by these neck injuries.
Chronic cervical whiplash injuries, hypothyroidism, and thyroid disorders are not fully understood, although a significant correlation between them has been apparent. Patients exhibiting difficulty swallowing and speech may have thyroid disorders.
The result of a chronic cervical whiplash injury, especially complicated by a lateral force, leaves the patient with skeletal structural distortion, disc damage (whether extruded or bulged), soft tissue tearing, and pinched nerves, usually to the lower cervical vertebra. Insidiously, pinching off some of the nerve supply from the lower cervical and upper thoracic region’s to the brachial plexus affects that region’s neck, arm, and other anatomical structures, including the thyroid.
Being aware of the link between whiplash trauma and thyroid disorders may help your patients make better-informed decisions with their health care.
Dr. Andrew M. Rodgers is a chiropractic physician who graduated from NYCC in 1974. He has a pre-med BS degree, and MS in biology, and CFP from Texas Chiropractic College.
Tyler E. Rodgers coauthored this article. Tyler is currently a student in the Speech and Hearing Program at Rutgers University.
