Whiplash: what is it? We have all heard about it but do you know exactly what it is? You hear people expressing that whiplash isn’t really an injury and that making a whiplash claim is a scandal – they are totally wrong. People who have been involved in road traffic accidents can be injured and it can be more than a 24 hour bug.
Whiplash is much more than what it is portrayed in the media and it can seriously affect people’s lives – I should know, I deal with whiplash claims every day. I hear clients complain about the pain and suffering it causes them as well as the effect it has on their day to day life – it is certainly much more than a slight niggle!
So what exactly is whiplash? Whiplash is a term used to describe a neck, shoulder and back injury resulting from being involved in a car accident. The sudden movement of the body, particularly, the neck, damages the ligaments and tendons in the neck. The force of the sudden movement makes your body move beyond its normal range of movement so that ligaments, tendons and muscles in your neck area are overstretched. To let you know, tendons are tough, fibrous bands that connect muscles to the bone and ligaments are the fibrous connective tissues that link two bones together at a joint.
People often only relate whiplash with neck pain but whiplash can affect your shoulders and back just as badly. Some common symptoms of whiplash can include:
- Neck pain and stiffness
- Neck swelling
- Lower back pain
- Tenderness of the neck, back and shoulder area
- Reduced movement
- Headaches
Some other symptoms of whiplash can include:
- Pins and needle sensation in the arms and hands
- Muscles spasms
- Dizziness
- Tiredness
- Tinnitus
As you can see whiplash is much more than neck ache! It really can cause severe pain and suffering. Whiplash symptoms often do not arise straight away it can sometimes take 48 hours before you really see the effect of whiplash and that is why it shouldn’t be taken a just a sore neck!
If you have been injured in a road traffic accident that was not your fault don’t be fooled by what you hear about whiplash – you are entitled to make a claim for compensation, the law says so. You should not suffer as a result of someone else’s negligent actions.
Call The Injury Lawyers today on 0800 634 75 75 for free legal advice and get your claim started today!
