Information About Dealing With Whiplash
For years cartoons have been made of people wandering into courtrooms wearing a neck brace and suing for whiplash.
It is really not that simple to make a claim of whiplash and if you do have whiplash it can be very painful and cause on-going problems.
Whiplash is damage to the neck that is caused by the head being forced forward and then back, or the other way around.
It results in damage to nerves, tendons, muscles and discs.
The most common cause of whiplash is in rear-end car crashes, though any sudden stop can cause whiplash to occur.
Rear-end collisions tend to bring about the most severe cases of whiplash due to the force involved.
Whiplash can also commonly occur when playing sport, especially contact sports.
There are a range of symptoms that can occur with whiplash and a person may suffer from only a few of them or all of them.
These symptoms can be similar to other conditions so it pays to see a doctor to be sure.
Symptoms include: oA stiff neck oPain in the neck oPain in the lower back oPain in the shoulder oPain in the jaw oPain or numbness in the arm (and sometimes the hand) oBlurred vision oDizziness oFeeling very tired, though sometimes people experience having difficulty sleeping oDifficulty concentrating oFeeling irritable oRinging in the ears You may go through a CT scan and an MRI to assess the extent of damage.
Keep hold of any reports as you may need them if you take out a personal injury lawsuit.
Treatment will vary depending on the severity of the injury but usually includes ice packs for the first 24 hours.
You might be given anti-inflammatory medication to reduce swelling and ease the pain and possibly a muscle relaxant as well.
You will be given a collar to wear to support the neck and will probably require follow up physiotherapy treatment.
You will probably be encouraged to exercise the neck gently too.
While our instinct is not to move a part of our body that hurts it has been showing that people who don't follow this advice take longer to heal and have ongoing problems.
Most people recover from whiplash relatively quickly, though it usually involves some time off work.
For others whiplash can lead to chronic problems that require ongoing treatment and result in loss of quality of life.
Some people also become angry or depressed if the condition continues and these psychological problems then need to be addressed too.
Because whiplash is so often caused by motor accidents personal injury compensation is often sought.
If you need to go ahead with this it is advisable to find a lawyer who specializes in whiplash cases.
Wearing seat belts and using head rests in the car can help prevent whiplash in the event of an accident.
If your car has head rests use them in the right position.
Having them too low can in fact increase the extent of damage should you get whiplash.
It is really not that simple to make a claim of whiplash and if you do have whiplash it can be very painful and cause on-going problems.
Whiplash is damage to the neck that is caused by the head being forced forward and then back, or the other way around.
It results in damage to nerves, tendons, muscles and discs.
The most common cause of whiplash is in rear-end car crashes, though any sudden stop can cause whiplash to occur.
Rear-end collisions tend to bring about the most severe cases of whiplash due to the force involved.
Whiplash can also commonly occur when playing sport, especially contact sports.
There are a range of symptoms that can occur with whiplash and a person may suffer from only a few of them or all of them.
These symptoms can be similar to other conditions so it pays to see a doctor to be sure.
Symptoms include: oA stiff neck oPain in the neck oPain in the lower back oPain in the shoulder oPain in the jaw oPain or numbness in the arm (and sometimes the hand) oBlurred vision oDizziness oFeeling very tired, though sometimes people experience having difficulty sleeping oDifficulty concentrating oFeeling irritable oRinging in the ears You may go through a CT scan and an MRI to assess the extent of damage.
Keep hold of any reports as you may need them if you take out a personal injury lawsuit.
Treatment will vary depending on the severity of the injury but usually includes ice packs for the first 24 hours.
You might be given anti-inflammatory medication to reduce swelling and ease the pain and possibly a muscle relaxant as well.
You will be given a collar to wear to support the neck and will probably require follow up physiotherapy treatment.
You will probably be encouraged to exercise the neck gently too.
While our instinct is not to move a part of our body that hurts it has been showing that people who don't follow this advice take longer to heal and have ongoing problems.
Most people recover from whiplash relatively quickly, though it usually involves some time off work.
For others whiplash can lead to chronic problems that require ongoing treatment and result in loss of quality of life.
Some people also become angry or depressed if the condition continues and these psychological problems then need to be addressed too.
Because whiplash is so often caused by motor accidents personal injury compensation is often sought.
If you need to go ahead with this it is advisable to find a lawyer who specializes in whiplash cases.
Wearing seat belts and using head rests in the car can help prevent whiplash in the event of an accident.
If your car has head rests use them in the right position.
Having them too low can in fact increase the extent of damage should you get whiplash.
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