Causes
Whiplash is caused by a sudden jolt to the head, causing the neck to move beyond its normal range. This in turn causes nerves, muscles and tendons in the neck to be damaged. This damage causes the symptoms of whiplash that I will discuss in the following blog.
Symptoms
The symptoms of whiplash can be wide ranging, and dependant on the severity of the accident and the person involved, different people can have different experiences of the condition. I have gone on to list 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
Typically whiplash symptoms become apparent between 6-12 hours after an accident and then can increase in severity thereafter.
Prognosis
When I say prognosis I mean the time in which it takes to fully recover from the condition. This is something which a Consultant would comment on in your medical report organised by your lawyers, and this can make a major difference to your claim valuation. Whiplash is inherently unpredictable; a doctor may think you will recover in 6 months, when one year down the line, you are still in pain. It is your decision whether you settle your claim before you have recovered and rely on the prognosis as set out in the medical report – however, at The Injury Lawyers, we often advise against this course of action so as not to put our clients at risk of undervaluing their claims.
Treatment
Whiplash sufferers are often advised to gain treatment such as physiotherapy to relieve the symptoms of their condition. If this is something that has been advised to you then you should ensure to follow up on this advice. If you were not to attend physio sessions when advised to do so, the other side to a personal injury claim could argue that you have failed to help yourself and thus you have suffered with your condition longer than you had to. If this is the case the other side could award you less compensation. At The Injury Lawyers we are able to arrange medical treatment such as physio at no cost to our clients right from the start of the claim as well.
If you have any further questions regarding the above then please feel free to give us a call.