Hour#1:  Anatomy Review

Emphasize the unique anatomy of the cervical spine as related to spinal trauma.

Point out the importance of the uncinate process joints as related to disc herniation, the nerve root, the vertebral artery, and the spinal cord.

Explain how cervical spine injury may manifest clinically as low back and leg pain.

Hour#2:  Define Sleep Hygiene

Explain the role for sleep and sleep’s influence on the ability to safely operate a motor vehicle.

Summarize the influence of sleep on brain neurochemistry.

Hour#3:  Awareness and Soft Tissue Injury

Explain the influence of awareness on an impending collision and the muscles ability to protect joints.

Explain how being “caught by surprise” by a collision is related to a poor prognosis for full recovery.

Hour#4:  Whiplash History

Summarize the history of whiplash injuries, including mechanical mechanisms, biological mechanisms, pathology, diagnostics and management.

Define the issues that the early whiplash literature got wrong.

Emphasize the issues that early whiplash literature got correct.

Hour#5: Whiplash Today

Summarize recent advances in the understanding of whiplash injuries, emphasizing anatomy, diagnostics, pain production and pain suppression.

Integrate whiplash trauma, chronic pain, and chiropractic care.

Hour#6: Low Speed Collisions and Minor Vehicle Damage

Point out the mathematics of how a low speed vehicle to vehicle collision can result in passenger injury.

Explain why vehicle damage should not be used as a proxy for passenger injury.

Integrate the concepts of awareness, rotation, and pre-accident spondylosis in injury magnitude and prognosis.

Hour#7: Soft Tissue Injury and Repair

Define the three phases of soft tissue healing and point out the time sequence for each phase.

Justify the clinical interventions that have a positive therapeutic influence on each phase of soft tissue injury healing.

Emphasize the concept of motion in the healing of injured soft tissues, especially spinal adjusting (specific manipulation) motion.

Quantify acute injury and ultimate recovery(prognosis) by using measurement outcomes.

Hour#8: Treatment Duration, Frequency, and Prognosis

Summarize the biology and published data on treatment frequency and duration for whiplash spinal trauma.

Point out published studies relating to recovery and prognosis.

Reference the incidence of acceleration of spondylosis in long-term studies following a whiplash injury.

Hour#9: Upper Cervical Spine Injury and the flow of Cerebral Spinal Fluid

Review the evidence for upper cervical spine injury and instability following whiplash injury and its influence of cerebral spinal fluid flow.

Integrate upper cervical spinal injury to cerebellar ectopia.

Hour#10: Informed Consent

Define the legal requirements for informed consent for chiropractic care.

Review common entities for an informed consent and the rational for each.

Hour#11: Directions of Impact

The rear-end collision

The side-impact collision

The head-on collision

Hour#12: Whiplash Injury and the Vertebral Artery

Review the anatomy of the vertebral-basilar vascular systems

Distinguish between the anterior and posterior circulation

Summarize the signs and symptoms of a cervical spine vascular injury

Solidify the knowledge as to when the suspected vascular injury patient should be referred to diagnostic imaging or emergency services.