Whiplash and head injury: what has been studied

It started after the accident, or the fall. The X-rays and the CT were clear. The headaches, the dizziness and the fog didn't get the message.

How we approach whiplash →

Illustration: a clear model of the human body with the spine and the top of the neck shown in blue

After an injury, normal imaging can be a relief and a puzzle at the same time. The upper neck carries the head and surrounds the brainstem, and it is not always where anyone looked. This page gathers the published upper cervical reports on people injured in collisions and falls, including one about an injury the first scans missed.

Studies on lingering symptoms after a concussion have their own page.

3 studies on this page

Designs: Case report
Published: 2004 to 2026

Where these studies sit, by design and year

3 studies, published 2004 to 2026. Strongest design: case report.

the studies

What each study looked at

Strongest study design first. The dots show the design, from a single case (one dot) to a controlled trial (four). How to read this library

Case report2026Blair upper cervical

Neck pain and headaches after a car accident that injured an artery in the neck

Who and how many: One man, 54, eight months after a car accident that caused a partial tear (dissection) of his left internal carotid artery. He had severe neck pain, headaches and painful, restricted neck motion.
What was measured: Exam findings, a 0 to 10 pain rating, the Neck Disability Index and the RAND-36 quality-of-life survey over six months, during which he had 5 Blair upper cervical corrections. Exam and imaging were used first to judge whether care was reasonable.
What was found: All three questionnaires showed improvement in his presenting symptoms.
Limits: One person. The authors say more study is needed on both effectiveness and safety for people with a history of artery injury. The journal published two letters to the editor in response, one of them on the report's methods.

Read the abstract on PubMed → Source 1

Case report2007Chiropractic care of the upper neck

A 21-year-old woman after a car crash: an injury the first tests didn't show

Who and how many: One woman, 21, with severe upper neck pain, a constant headache at the base of her skull and dizziness after a car collision. Emergency X-rays and CT had not explained her pain.
What was measured: MRI of the upper neck.
What was found: MRI showed a disrupted alar ligament, one of the ligaments that holds the top of the neck to the skull, an injury the earlier imaging had not detected. The author reports that she improved with chiropractic care.
Limits: One person, and the abstract does not describe the care in detail. The main point of the report is imaging: what can be missed when the first tests look normal.

Read the abstract on PubMed → Source 2

Case report2004Upper cervical

A 23-year-old man after a head-first fall: seizures, sleep, mood and migraine

Who and how many: One man, 23, who landed on his head in a pole vault fall at 17. Over the next six years he developed rapid-cycling bipolar disorder, seizures, a sleep disorder, neck and back pain and migraines, and saw many physicians.
What was measured: Thermography and X-rays of the upper neck, then assessments by his neurologist at the start, at 2 months and at 4 months of upper cervical care.
What was found: After one month he reported no seizures or manic episodes and better sleep. At four months his migraines had gone from about three a week to two a month. At seven months he reported no symptoms, and he remained free of them 18 months later.
Limits: One person. The author proposes a link between the fall, the upper neck and his symptoms, but a single case can't establish it.

Read the abstract on PubMed → Source 3

before you draw conclusions

What this research does and doesn't tell you

Three case reports, one person each. They are useful for one thing above all: a reminder that a clear first scan is not the end of the question. They can't tell you what care would do for you. After any head injury, new or worsening symptoms (confusion, vomiting, weakness, a severe headache) need emergency care first.

Published research can't predict what will happen for any one person, including you. Studies report averages and single stories; your nervous system is your own. That is why The Lazar Method^™ starts with measurement, not with a promise.

We measure first, so the answer is about you, not an average.

Before any correction we measure how your nervous system is regulating your body: heart rate variability, thermal and muscle tone scans, PostureIQ™, and digital X-ray of the upper neck. QSM3, the method used at our office, is a progression of NUCCA. Dr. Jonathan Lazar, D.C., or someone personally trained by him, will go over your scans and images with you.

If we can help, we'll tell you. If we can't, we'll help you find someone who can.

Talk it through on a 15-minute Clarity Call →

This page is educational and is not medical advice. Keep the doctors who know you in the loop.

citations

Sources

Beebe M, Tayal A. 2026. Upper cervical chiropractic management of a patient with headaches, neck pain and a history of traumatic internal carotid artery compromise: a case report. J Man Manip Ther 34(5):508-514. PubMed 42290506 · DOI 10.1080/10669817.2026.2684728 · free full text
Demetrious J. 2007. Post-traumatic upper cervical subluxation visualized by MRI: a case report. Chiropr Osteopat 15:20. PubMed 18093309 · DOI 10.1186/1746-1340-15-20 · free full text
Elster EL. 2004. Treatment of bipolar, seizure, and sleep disorders and migraine headaches utilizing a chiropractic technique. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 27(3):E5. PubMed 15129207 · DOI 10.1016/j.jmpt.2003.12.027

Titles are quoted exactly as published. Sources checked 2026-11-03.

keep reading

When nothing else has worked, start with clarity.

In about 4 minutes, you'll see whether your symptoms point to nervous system dysfunction, and exactly what to do next. Free. Your answers stay private. No spam, ever.

Start My Screening →

Prefer to talk first?

Book a 15-minute Clarity Call

or call 734.274.5107 · ready to come in? Book your complimentary consultation

Screening adapted from the autonomic dysfunction screening developed by Bruce Bell, MD.

A member of our team will reach out within one business day.