Whiplash 101

 By Richard DonTigney

The lack of movement in the sacroiliac joint is a myth. When walking the pelvis moves obliquely to the line of travel, to increase the length of the stride. The sacrum moves on the asymmetric pelvis to drive counter rotation of the trunk to decrease loading forces. Pelvic dynamics has profound effects on normal gait.  

The joint is vulnerable to injury through minor trauma only in anterior rotation of the innominates on the sacrum.  Idiopathic low back pain is a commonly overlooked, reversible dysfunction in anterior rotation, usually bilateral.   A diagnosis of dysfunction can be made simply by identifying a single painful point at the posterior inferior iliac spine that is caused by a vertical shear on the conjoint origin of the piriformis muscle and tearing of the capsule at S3. See pain patterns here. The anterior rotation will loosen the iliolumbar ligaments, destabilize L4,5-S1 and increase shear and torsion shear to the disks.  Correction restores stability.

Full correction in posterior rotation will provide immediate relief of pain.  More than three treatments are seldom necessary.  Stabilization of the unstable SIJ can be obtained with five to six sessions of prolo specifically to the long posterior sacroiliac ligaments.  Prolo to the iliolumbar ligaments without correction of the SIJ first can tighten the joint in the uncorrected position and may prevent correction.

Anyone not properly treating dysfunction of the sacroiliac joint is perpetuating chronic low back pain.  X-rays of innominate movement on the sacrum are published on-line at www.thelowback.com/how.htm#movement

By Simon Roulstone

 This page is offered by Simon who became a quadriplegic after a car crash. He has a phenomenal site that helps people understand the complexity of spinal damage and shows how you can choose to do what you want to do in life anyway. Some people let life happen others make things happen. Simon makes things happen! Please visit his site by clicking on the banner on the bottom of this page

This page describes the role of dermatome and myotome locations and how you can have pain at one area when the damage is really somewhere else. We urge people to take a dermatome map into your doctor  and show them the pain patterns

 Spinal nerves have motor fibers and sensory fibers. The motor fibers innervate certain muscles, while the sensory fibers innervate certain areas of skin. A skin area innervated by the sensory fibers of a single nerve root is known as a dermatome. A group of muscles primarily innervated by the motor fibers of a single nerve root is known as a myotome. Although slight variations do exist, dermatome and myotome patterns of distribution are relatively consistent from person to person.

myotomes-dermatomes by permission Apparelyzed.com

Myotomes

Each muscle in the body is supplied by a particular level or segment of the spinal cord and by its corresponding spinal nerve. The muscle, and its nerve make up a myotome. This is approximately the same for every person and are as follows:

C3,4 and 5 supply the diaphragm (the large muscle between the chest and the belly that we use to breath).

C5 also supplies the shoulder muscles and the muscle that we use to bend our elbow .

C6 is for bending the wrist back.

C7 is for straightening the elbow.

C8 bends the fingers.

T1 spreads the fingers.

T1 –T12 supplies the chest wall & abdominal muscles.

L2 bends the hip.

L3 straightens the knee.

L4 pulls the foot up.

L5 wiggles the toes.

S1 pulls the foot down.

S3,4 and 5 supply the bladder. bowel and sex organs and the anal and other pelvic muscles.

Dermatomes

Dermatome Apparelyzed.com used by permission Click to enlarge (2009) C

Dermatome is a Greek word which literally means “skin cutting”. A dermatome is an area of the skin supplied by nerve fibers originating from a single dorsal nerve root.  The dermatomes are named according to the spinal nerve which supplies them. The dermatomes form into bands around the trunk but in the limbs their organisation is more complex as a result of the dermatomes being “pulled out” as the limb buds form and develop into the limbs during embryological development.

In diagrams or maps, the boundaries of dermatomes are usually sharply defined. However, in life there is considerable overlap of innervation between adjacent dermatomes. Thus, if there is a loss of afferent nerve function by one spinal nerve sensation from the region of skin which it supplies is not usually completely lost as overlap from adjacent spinal nerves occurs: however, there will be a reduction in sensitivity.