If you’re reading this blog then you may have recently been involved in an accident that has caused you to have an injury which you feel might be whiplash related. Whiplash is one of those injuries which can get a bad press, and one which many people (often those who have not suffered with it) can underestimate. I feel whiplash can be underestimated for many reasons – one of the main reasons being that it’s not so plain to see as a broken bone or laceration to the skin. At The Injury Lawyers, we have the exact opposite approach – we treat whiplash with the utmost seriousness as we hear from our clients on a daily basis the debilitating effect it can have on all areas of their life.
Causes
Whiplash is caused by a sudden jolt to the head and neck areas, which in turn causes the neck to move beyond its normal range. This movement causes muscles and tendons in the neck to be damaged; thus leaving the person with symptoms that I will discuss below. At The Injury Lawyers, we tend to see whiplash most commonly as a consequence of road traffic accidents. It can however be caused by anything which causes your neck to be forced beyond its normal range.
Symptoms
The symptoms of whiplash usually become apparent between 6 – 12 hours after an accident has occurred. They can then increase in severity for approximately one week or more. I have listed some of the more common symptoms below:
- Pain, tenderness and / or stiffness in the neck
- Pain radiating down the shoulders and / or into the back
- Pins and needles type sensations in the arms
- Severe, recurrent headaches
- Reduced or even no mobility in the neck
If you begin to experience these symptoms, or if you’re already beginning to feel the effects of a suspected whiplash injury, it’s advisable to visit your GP for them to assist with your injuries, and make a note in your medical records of your accident and the injuries sustained.
It’s common that a GP will advise a whiplash sufferer that they would benefit from physiotherapy or similar treatment. This can often mean a lengthy wait on an NHS waiting list. At many law firms such as The Injury Lawyers, private medical treatment can be arranged at no cost to yourself right from the start of a claim; therefore getting you top private treatment faster and at a time convenient for you.
If you have any further questions about your whiplash claim, please feel free to give The Injury Lawyers a call.
