Description
Whiplash Associated Disorders
Hours: 10 Live Interactive “Zoom” Webinar CE Hours
Instructor: James Demetrious, DC, DABCO
Date: December 6-7, 2025
Time: 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM EDT on Saturday and Sunday
Cost: $250
Course Description:
This postgraduate course offers chiropractors an advanced, evidence-based examination of whiplash-associated disorders (WAD). The course examines the complex biomechanical, neurological, and psychosocial dimensions of WAD while integrating diagnostic protocols, risk stratification, and chiropractic management strategies. Participants will review contemporary literature, epidemiology, pathophysiology, and medico-legal considerations, as well as clinical red flags and referral criteria.
Through case studies, imaging review, and applied clinical reasoning, this course enhances diagnostic confidence and equips chiropractors to manage acute and chronic WAD presentations within a multidisciplinary framework, improving patient safety, outcomes, and documentation for clinical and legal contexts.
Hourly Breakdown:
- Hour 1:
- Introduction to Whiplash-Associated Disorders – epidemiology, classification (Quebec Task Force), and socioeconomic impact.
- Hour 2:
- Biomechanics of whiplash injury – kinematics of cervical acceleration-deceleration, tissue injury mechanisms, and thresholds of injury.
- Hour 3:
- Clinical presentation and assessment – acute vs. chronic WAD, pain generators, symptom clusters, and red flag recognition.
- Hour 4:
- Orthopedic and neurological examination protocols – reliability, validity, and interpretation of findings in WAD patients.
- Hour 5:
- Imaging and diagnostics – radiographs, MRI, CT, and advanced imaging (CBCT, MRA); appropriateness criteria and correlation with clinical findings.
- Hour 6:
- Chiropractic management strategies – HVLA manipulation, mobilization, soft-tissue techniques, and adjunctive therapies.
- Hour 7:
- Rehabilitation approaches – active care, exercise prescription, proprioceptive retraining, and graded exposure.
- Hour 8:
- Chronic whiplash – central sensitization, psychosocial considerations, prognosis, and multidisciplinary management strategies.
- Hour 9:
- Medico-legal and forensic aspects – documentation, causation, impairment ratings, and expert testimony in WAD cases.
- Hour 10:
- Case integration – complex patient scenarios, evidence-based management pathways, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Learning Objectives:
- Differentiate between benign and serious conditions presenting as WAD, recognizing red flag indicators.
- Select and interpret appropriate imaging studies for whiplash injury assessment.
- Develop evidence-based chiropractic management plans for acute and chronic WAD.
- Implement rehabilitative strategies to improve function and prevent chronicity.
- Identify psychosocial factors that influence prognosis and integrate them into patient care.
- Prepare defensible documentation and understand medico-legal considerations in WAD cases.
- Define and classify whiplash-associated disorders using current evidence-based frameworks.
- Explain the biomechanics of cervical acceleration-deceleration injuries and their clinical implications.
- Conduct a comprehensive orthopedic and neurological assessment for patients with suspected WAD.
- Apply advanced clinical reasoning to complex whiplash presentations in chiropractic practice.
Instructor: James Demetrious, DC, DABCO
Dr. James Demetrious is a nationally distinguished, board-certified chiropractic orthopedist. He teaches post-graduate coursework through his company PostGradDC. He is a proud member of the NCMIC Speakers’ Bureau and teaches throughout the United States. Dr. Demetrious has published peer-reviewed papers related to advanced differential diagnosis. Notably, he published the very first paper to ever associate fluoroquinolone medications as a causative risk factor of Cervical Artery Dissection. He has continually cared for patients since 1986.
