Whiplash injuries have become more and more prevalent as automobile use has increased. If you've ever had whiplash, you know that in addition to having a hurt neck you can be emotional, depressed, achy all over, dizzy, have ringing in your ears, or even blurry vision. As more research is done on the subject, we are able to better understand why all these things happen. A recent study looked at problems with people's vision after whiplash accidents. The researchers tested different reflexes that influenced the behavior of the eyes and visual information. They looked specifically at the inner ear (which senses balance) and the neck. They found that the inner ear itself functioned normally in whiplash victims, but that the neck reflexes, which act in conjunction with the inner ear to coordinate eye movements, gave faulty information to the brain. This makes sense since we know that the sensitive structures of the neck are full of nerve endings, and that these structures tear easily with the type of forces generated during typical whiplash injuries. The solution? A study done at the University Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Bristol, U.K., informs us that "Forty-three per cent of patients will suffer long-term symptoms following 'whiplash' injury, for which no conventional treatment has proven to be effective." Conventional treatments referred to here are pain medication and physical therapy. These researchers took a group of these "medical failures"--individuals who did not respond to conventional care--and sent them to the chiropractor. The result? Nintey-three percent of the participants improved with chiropractic care! If you are injured in an automobile accident, seek the best care possible, see a chiropractor. Whiplash and Visual Reflexes Link to article on Chiropractic and Whiplash