What Are the Symptoms of Whiplash After a Car Accident?

Rear-end car accidents are a common cause of whiplash injuries. These crashes are usually the fault of the driver in the rear. They’re usually caused by speeding or driver distraction. For the occupants of the car in front (the car that is struck), the consequences of a whiplash injury can cause the occupants to require long-term medical care, severe pain and suffering, and the inability to perform their jobs. Whiplash injuries can cause mild to severe neck pain, even though the person doesn’t have any broken bones or obvious signs of trauma such as swelling.

What is a whiplash injury?

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.” The most common cause of whiplash is a rear-end car accident, though falls and other accidents can also cause whiplash.

Who is most likely to suffer a serious whiplash injury?

The Cleveland Clinic states that adults over 65 are more prone to long-term whiplash pain and suffering due to the general deterioration and weakening of their muscles and bones. Females are more prone to whiplash due to rear-end accidents for the following reasons:

• Females are generally shorter than males, which means headrests are less likely to provide protection.
• Their spinal column structure makes them more prone to whiplash because the distance between each vertebra is greater.
• “Females usually have less muscle tissue, which can act as a shock absorber to reduce the effects of sudden impact forces.”

Whiplash symptoms and their severity

The Cleveland Clinic states that the more your neck is compressed or extended, the greater the injury. While some symptoms may appear immediately, many symptoms of whiplash after a rear-end collision take 12 hours, a day, or even a few days to appear.

Victims of rear-end car accidents should seek immediate medical care (at an emergency room or with their family doctor) even if they are not experiencing any symptoms, so a doctor can make a diagnosis and take steps to promptly treat the neck sprain or strain. Victims of rear-end car accidents should also seek immediate medical care because insurance companies will argue that any delay means that you weren’t hurting that much (even though they know that whiplash symptoms often are not immediate).

Doctors use the Quebec Classification of Whiplash-Associated Disorders system to grade the severity of whiplash injuries. The grading, which includes various signs and symptoms of whiplash, is as follows:

• Grade 0. The accident victim doesn’t have any symptoms, including pain.
• Grade 1. The victim has some pain, stiffness when they try to move their neck, and tenderness to touch at the injury site.
• Grade 2. The symptoms include:
  • Grade 1 symptoms
  • Pain that radiates to the car accident victim’s face, head, shoulder, and back
  • Muscle spasms that make neck and head movement difficult
  • Observable physical signs, such as swelling, bruising, and sensitivity to touch
• Grade 3. Whiplash symptoms include neurological symptoms (due to swelling or inflammation that disrupts nerve signals). These symptoms include muscle weakness, numbness, “pins and needles” (tingling sensations), and burning in the neck, shoulders, upper arms, and upper back. Other grade 3 symptoms include difficulty with vision, headaches, dizziness/vertigo, and loss of voice or difficulty swallowing.
• Grade 4. The symptoms of this grade, the most serious grade, include more severe neurological symptoms. These symptoms may require additional diagnostic testing to determine if the car accident victim has one or more fractured neck vertebrae or an improper alignment/shift of the neck vertebrae, which can place pressure on their spinal cord or nearby nerves.

Other whiplash symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic, include the following:

• Pain that worsens when you move your neck
• Loss of range of motion in the neck
• Fatigue
• Ringing in the ears, known as tinnitus
• Trouble sleeping
• Difficulty focusing and concentrating
• Memory challenges
• Depression

What are the diagnostic tests and treatments for whiplash?

The Cleveland Clinic states that there are no direct diagnostic tests for whiplash. Instead, doctors conduct tests to exclude other possibilities, leaving whiplash as the most likely diagnosis. Doctors will conduct a physical examination and ask questions about your symptoms and your general health. Some of the diagnostic “exclusion” tests include X-rays, CT (computerized tomography) scans, and MRIs. Physical examination tests include a range of motion exam, determining where you’re tender to the touch, and tests to examine your strength and reflexes.

There’s no one cure-all treatment for whiplash. The treatments are generally a combination of the following, according to the Mayo Clinic:

• Pain management. These treatments include rest, heat and cold treatments, non-prescription pain medications, prescription medications (under certain conditions), muscle relaxants (for short periods of time), and the possible use of numbing shots.
• Stretching and movement exercises may help, including working with a physical therapist.
• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)
• Foam collars.
• Alternative medicine. Some patients receive acupuncture, chiropractic care, massages, and mind-body therapies.

In addition to an initial review by an ER doctor or your family doctor, some of the medical professionals who help whiplash victims include neurologists, neurosurgeons, physical therapists (who provide an exercise routine), occupational therapists (who help with daily living functions), vocational therapists (who help victims return to work), and psychologists (who help with the emotional trauma of chronic neck pain).

Victims of whiplash due to rear-end collisions have the right to compensation for their medical expenses of every nature, lost income, physical pain, emotional suffering, car damage, inability to enjoy life’s pleasures, and any other financial or personal damages.

Our San Antonio car accident lawyers have extensive experience holding drivers liable for rear-end accidents. We demand compensation for all of your injuries, including whiplash. Call Pat Maloney: Accident & Injury Attorney or fill out our online contact form to schedule a free consultation. We handle car accident claims on a contingency fee basis.