Symptoms of whiplash can range from straight-forward pain in the neck, back & shoulders to pins and needles and serious mobility problems. Whiplash is actually more complicated than most people think; unless you have suffered it yourself, you won’t really know what I am talking about.
Whiplash is common in car accidents. The impact that causes you to jolt back and forth, or sideways, results in the ligaments and tendons in the neck, shoulders, and back being stretched beyond their normal range of movement. This is the mechanics of how the injury is caused. The pain and stiffness will normally take 12 – 48 hours to make itself known. Many people feel absolutely fine immediately after an accident, only to wake up the next day in agony.
You may have limited mobility – i.e. you might struggle to move your neck and back as well as you could before. You may also suffer from headaches or pins and needles in the arms. Sometimes you may even feel sick, dizzy, or suffer from a stint of vertigo.
The best thing to do is see your GP or pop down to a walk in centre to get a formal diagnosis in your medical records. Other than advise you to take anti-inflammatory medication and pain killers, as well as doing a few simple neck exercises, there isn’t a great deal that can be done right at the start.
Some are lucky – give it a few days, or a couple of weeks, and you are fine. Others end up suffering for months and months. Physiotherapy is often the way forward; which incidentally is something we can sort out for you on a private basis, if you make a claim through ourselves. We then charge the fees to the other side.
If you weren’t at fault in the accident, call our free claims helpline on 0800 634 75 75 for the best advice about what to do when making a whiplash compensation claim. We are whiplash experts – we can guide you through the process and get a claim set-up on the same day you call us. If you need treatment, we can sort that out straight away as well.
