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One of the most common car accident injuries, whiplash is a painful and sometimes debilitating neck injury that can change your daily life. Whiplash is an injury to your head, neck, shoulders, and back, generally occurring when the body experiences an impact so forceful that the head violently moves back and forth, similar to a whip cracking. If you have been involved in a car accident, even if it was minor, it is essential to know whiplash symptoms to begin treatment immediately.
Because whiplash is an injury to the neck, it will likely affect many other body parts. Although whiplash is a soft-tissue injury, it can cause severe pain to the muscles, nerves, and bones in the upper part of the body and spine, leading to serious health issues if left untreated. People who have suffered whiplash likely require medical treatment, physical therapy, and sometimes surgery. Over 20 percent of whiplash victims are believed to suffer from chronic pain, and about 18 percent will never fully recover.
Here are common symptoms of whiplash:
- Stiffness: One of the first signs of whiplash, a stiff neck limits your ability to turn your head with regular motion because the tendons and muscles in and around your neck have been strained. A stiff neck is often painful and requires treatment and rest.
- Headaches and cognitive issues: It is possible to suffer a concussion along with whiplash; the impact from the accident might have been so forceful that it jolted the brain against the skull and bruise. This trauma often leads to severe headaches, lack of focus, memory problems, and personality changes. You may also experience symptoms like dizziness, anxiety, and irritability. A concussion can lead to further injury, seizures, or even death if left untreated.
- Ringing ears: If you experience tinnitus ringing in your ears, you may have nerve damage from whiplash. Tinnitus can also be associated with dizziness, harm your ability to focus, and can worsen if left untreated.
- Body aches and tingling sensations: If you experience body aches or tingling sensations in your fingers, it is a good sign that you suffered nerve damage from whiplash. Because whiplash causes harm to the cervical spine, it can cause problems in the surrounding areas. This likely leads to back pain, impaired mobility, and sometimes partial paralysis.
- Loss of motion: Although you may lose mobility in your neck muscles from whiplash, you likely will experience limited mobility in other body parts, namely your shoulders, arms, and torso.
- Issues chewing or eating: Whiplash causes injury to the head and neck, overextending the tendons and muscles in the area. This can lead to a misalignment of the jaw and surrounding muscles, making eating, swallowing, or speaking difficult.
Whiplash is usually graded due to severity. Grades 1 and 2 are mild symptoms, while grades 3 and 4 are for more severe injuries. It is also important to note that whiplash can worsen other conditions.
How Is Whiplash Treated?
It is important to seek medical treatment immediately following an accident. Many injuries, especially whiplash, do not appear until well after the accident and will worsen if not treated.
Treatment for whiplash generally depends on the grade. Mild symptoms of whiplash may be treated with pain medication, rest, and physical therapy. More severe injuries may require prescription medication, injections for pain, muscle relaxers, physical therapy, and sometimes surgery.
Atlantic City Car Accident Lawyers at the D’Amato Law Firm Help Those Suffering From Whiplash
The severity of whiplash varies from person to person. You may be entitled to compensation if you have been in an accident and suffered whiplash. Our Atlantic City car accident lawyers at the D’Amato Law Firm can help you today. Call us at 609-926-3300 or fill out our online form for a free consultation. Located in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, we proudly serve clients in South Jersey, including Atlantic City, Linwood, Galloway Township, Cape May, Vineland, Millville, Bridgeton, Ocean City, and Woodbury.