Whiplash
Introduction to Whiplash
What is Whiplash and how is it caused?
Symptoms of Whiplash
How whiplash can affect you
Treatment of Whiplash
How to treat your whiplash injury
Whiplash caused by a Road Traffic Accident
Car Accidents and Whiplash Injuries
What to do after your accident
Steps to take to help your claim for whiplash
Links which may help you
Organisations which may be able to help you after suffering whiplash
Introduction to Whiplash
What is Whiplash and how is it caused?
Whiplash is caused when a person suffers from a sudden jolt to their head or body which damages the muscles, ligaments, tendons or other soft tissues in the neck.
When we hear the word "whiplash" we automatically think of someone who has been involved in a car accident; however, whiplash can be caused by many different situations including slips, trips and falls, sports injuries and even assaults and attacks.
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Symptoms of Whiplash
How whiplash can affect you
Whiplash causes pain, stiffness and restriction of movement in the neck area and can also cause headaches, muscle spasms and pain in the shoulders or arms of the injured person.
In more serious cases of whiplash there can be swelling, back pain, pins and needles in the arms, hands or fingers, dizziness, lethargy and nausea.
In most cases, the injured person will not develop symptoms of whiplash immediately after their accident. The symptoms of whiplash will develop a day or two afterwards and may get worse over a period of time before starting to get better.
The severity of a whiplash injury can vary greatly and while some people make a recovery within a few days or weeks, others are left with symptoms and pain from their whiplash injury for months or even years.
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Treatment of Whiplash
How to treat your whiplash injury
Whiplash can be treated in many different ways; however, injured people often find that it is just a case of waiting for their body to heal itself.
Ice packs can help to reduce any swelling caused by the whiplash injury and painkillers and anti inflammatory drugs are often helpful; however, you should check with your GP or pharmacist before taking any medication.
Resting an injured neck might be advisable to begin with; however, you may find that your GP later suggests you complete a series of gentle exercises to prevent the areas affected by the whiplash from stiffening up.
Many people use chiropractic tecniques such as Activator Methods. The technique is one of a kind, with no torking or cracking involved. Check out their website to find more information.
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Whiplash caused by a Road Traffic Accident
Car Accidents and Whiplash Injuries
Whiplash is probably the most common type of injury sustained following a road traffic accident.
If you are unfortunate enough to suffer a whiplash injury following a road traffic accident, which was not your fault, then you may be entitled to make a personal injury compensation claim.
If you are a passenger in a vehicle; which is involved in a collision, your whiplash compensation claim would be made against the insurance company of the person responsible for the accident, whether that is the driver of the vehicle you were travelling in or a third party driver.
If you are a driver, a cyclist or a pedestrian your whiplash compensation claim would be made against the insurance company of the person driving the vehicle; which collided with you and caused your whiplash injury.
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What to do after your accident
Steps to take to help your claim for whiplash
As with all personal injury compensation claims, you would need to prove that another person was responsible for your whiplash injury.
To help your case, you should take names, addresses and telephone numbers of any witnesses to the accident and take photographs of the accident locus if possible. If the whiplash injury is caused in a Road Traffic Accident and the negligent driver has no valid insurance, leaves the scene or admits to driving a stolen vehicle, you should contact the Police immediately and report the incident.
If you are intending to claim expenses such as prescription costs and travelling expenses incurred as a result of your whiplash injury, remember to keep receipts as evidence.
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Links which may help you
Organisations which may be able to help you after suffering whiplash
NHS Direct - Find everything you need to know about medical conditions, symptoms, health tests, treatments, operations and services.
NHS24 - nhs24.com provides comprehensive up-to-date health information and self care advice for people in Scotland.
BBC Health - Gives you access to health questions on a wide range of subjects answered by a team of doctors.
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