Whiplash, caused by sudden neck thrusts, can result in pain and stiffness in the neck and back. Symptoms may take up to 24 hours to appear and treatment options include braces and pain relievers. Even minor accidents can cause whiplash, so seek medical care for any related symptoms.
Whiplash is a condition that most often occurs during a car accident or any other situation where the neck is suddenly thrust forward. There are a variety of symptoms related to whiplash, most commonly occurring in the neck and back. To determine the type and severity of whiplash, those who have been involved in an automobile accident should be seen by a doctor.
Generally, whiplash injury is caused by the muscles and tendons in the neck being exercised in a way that the neck was not designed to resist. This results in sprains and tears in the soft tissue of the neck. Most of the time, whiplash causes pain and stiffness in the neck. The amount of discomfort experienced will depend on the overall severity of the neck strain.
In some cases, the back may also be involved in whiplash. If the force is strong enough, the back muscles can be stretched farther than they are generally capable of going. This can lead to severe back pain, sprains and muscle strains in the upper or lower back. Because back-related whiplash generally results from a serious circumstance, the pain is usually much worse than when the injury is confined to the neck.
Many times, whiplash symptoms take up to 24 hours to appear. This means that even those who think they came out of an accident unscathed can feel pain afterwards. For this reason, anyone who is in a moderate to severe accident should see a doctor. Your doctor may be able to recognize neck and back injuries before symptoms are present and offer treatment options based on the severity of the injury. To determine the severity of a whiplash injury, doctors may look at a patient’s responsiveness, the amount of pain felt, the tenderness experienced, and the function of the muscles in the arms and legs.
Whiplash is typically treated with braces to limit the amount of motion in the neck and back, as well as prescription pain relievers. In some very severe cases, the patient may need to be hospitalized to closely monitor any symptoms and allow the neck and back to heal. Very rarely and only in severe cases, the bones, spinal cord or other areas of the spine may be damaged. In these cases, additional medical treatment may be required.
Even those who are involved in a minor accident can develop whiplash symptoms. Those who begin to notice neck pain, swelling, pain radiating to the arms or back, dizziness, headache, or vision changes should seek medical care right away. This could signal a whiplash or related injury, even if the accident was not serious.
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