So, if you are suffering whiplash after being involved in an accident – likely a road accident – read on for some key information you will be very happy to learn about.
Whiplash Treatment NHS
You can get treatment for whiplash normally through the NHS. If you see your GP after suffering a whiplash injury, they will likely advise you to do some little exercises to help your neck, advise or prescribe pain killers and / or anti-inflammatory medication, and possibly advise you to return to them in a couple of weeks time if the pain persists. If it does persist, your GP may well refer you to an NHS physiotherapist for treatment.
Unfortunately, the NHS, as a public sector organisation, are limited on their budget for treating people for whiplash injuries. You may have to wait anywhere between 6 and 8 weeks after a referral just for your initial assessment. Treatment itself may not be at the most convenient times as well.
However; there is another way you know…
Free Private Medical Treatment IS Available
If the accident you were in that caused your injuries was through no fault of your own, you have the opportunity to access private medical care that doesn’t cost you a penny. The treatment is essentially free of charge to you.
This is because private medical care to help you recover from your injuries is a recoverable item from the other side. The company, usually an insurer, that compensates you for your injuries and loss has the duty to help you recover from your injuries. Private medical care is, for obvious reasons, preferable over the NHS as it is more often than not more convenient, more accessible, with far smaller waiting times.
So, how do you access this treatment?
If you instruct a specialist firm of personal injury lawyers to handle your whiplash claim, you may be able to enjoy additional service benefits such as private medical care that doesn’t cost you a penny whether the case wins or loses. We offer it – if your claim wins, we recover all medical fees from the other side; if the claim loses, the medical fees are claimed from a separate policy of insurance – and no, you don’t pay for the insurance.
However, this is a pretty unique thing – so make sure you check that your lawyer offers it before you go ahead and instruct them.
Whiplash Treatment Guidelines
There are several ways you can treat a whiplash injury. There is, unfortunately, no miracle cure. Depending on how severe your whiplash is can depend on the level of medical intervention you need. For the majority of whiplash cases, a good dose of physiotherapy sessions can do you a world of good. I had 8 sessions, which was before the insurers had been admitted liability, and it was a great help.
If the whiplash has caused more serious back or muscular problems, then there is access to chiropractors and osteopathic experts as well.
Whiplash Treatment Exercises
If you have physio, you will know what I mean by this. It doesn’t just take a session a week for 8 weeks or so to recover from the injury; you must do your own exercises in your own time as well. As I am no medical expert, I will refrain from telling you what to do! But as an example, my physio asked me to do several exercises, of which one important one for my back was to try and relieve pressure from one of my “trigger point” areas (an area where pain is caused by pressure) by standing against a wall and rolling a golf ball between my trigger points and the wall surface to apply the right pressure in the affected area. It was painful – but it helped!
There are also light stretches and moving exercises that are all designed to help relieve the symptoms of your whiplash injury.
Whiplash Treatment Massage
Massages can also be very helpful to alleviate the symptoms of whiplash. General massages can help – as part of a staff benefit here, we have regular massages provided in works time. This has helped me know end as well to relieve the pressure in my back muscles that was built up from the initial injury itself.
So, the moral of the story is that, if you are suffering from a whiplash injury that was caused through no fault of your own, instruct an independent firm of specialist personal injury lawyers to deal with your claim; preferably a firm that offers you private medical care that doesn’t cost you a penny.
Feel free to get in touch with us for the best advice, representation, and treatment for your whiplash; we’re real Injury Lawyers, so we know what we’re talking about.