Car Head Restraints Can Make Whiplash Injuries More Severe

Head restraints can exacerbate whiplash injuries, even though they are designed to protect riders in car accidents. The July 2000 issue of the Journal of the American Chiropractic Association (JACA) states that studies on low-speed, rear-impact crashes show that less than 30 percent of Americans initially adjust their head restraints properly. However, even those who adjust them properly often end up with whiplash injuries brought on by the head restraint itself.

Arthur Croft, DC, director of the Spine Research Institute of San Diego, Calif., stated in the article that the impact of a crash will make an occupant's head rise above a restraint - even one that's properly adjusted. The head restraint may actually intensify the injury as the head crashes down onto the restraint and hammers it into a lower position. In addition, if an occupant's head is more than two inches away from even a properly positioned, anchored restraint, the head restraint is useless.