What Should I Do If I Have Neck Pain After an Accident? - Sawan and Sawan

Chances are, you’ve heard the term whiplash before – but you may not understand how debilitating it is until you’ve suffered from it yourself. According to the Mayo Clinic:

Whiplash is a neck injury due to forceful, rapid back-and-forth movement of the neck, like the cracking of a whip.

We frequently see clients suffer from this as a result of rear-end car accidents. The sudden and unexpected collision from the rear of the vehicle causes clients to lurch forward and back, causing a variety of issues with the neck and back. The problem is that, often times, these injuries don’t appear clearly on X-Rays or CT Scans. An insurance company adjuster looking to minimize your claim will often push back against the lack of visual evidence – ignoring the pain you are feeling.

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While most people will recover from whiplash symptoms within a few weeks to a month, some victims will have chronic neck or back pain and long-lasting complications. Typically, the symptoms of whiplash include:

Stiffness of Pain in the Neck
Limitation of Neck Movement
Increase in Pain with Neck Movement
Headaches (Often Radiating From The Base of the Skull)
Tenderness or Numbness in Shoulders, Back or Arms
Tingling in Back or Arms
Dizziness
Excessive Fatique
Blurred Vision
Ringing in the Ears (Tinnitus)
Difficulty Concentrating
Irrability
Memory Problems
Depression
Sleep Disturbances

Due to the difficulty of diagnosing whiplash, it is vital that you seek medical attention early and often. Diagnostic testing is a great place to begin, and following up with you Primary Care Physician shortly after the car accident is vital. if you have been ordered to complete physical therapy, it is critical that you regularly attend and ensure that your progress is being documented. Lastly, keeping a daily journal of you progress, pain and difficulty can be a welcome aid to remember the experience once you’ve recovered.

About the Authors: Sawan & Sawan is a Toledo, Ohio based Personal Injury, Civil Litigation, Truck Accident, Car Accident and Insurance Law Firm with lawyers licensed to practice in Ohio, Michigan and Georgia.