If you’ve recently been in an auto accident and are experiencing a new pain in your neck, it is very likely that this pain is a symptom of whiplash. Whiplash – also known as Whiplash Associated Disorder or WAD – is a common injury associated with auto accidents. It is caused by any force strong enough to jerk your head in a way that strains your neck.
To get a visual of how this can happen in a car accident, imagine a rear-end collision. The force of the rear vehicle hitting the front vehicle causes the front driver’s head to jerk forward and back again. The seatbelt restrains the body, but not the head. While this scenario can also result in brain damage, as the brain collides with the skull, whiplash is extremely common in such circumstances, and this specific auto accident injury will be the subject of this post.
In whiplash injuries, the muscles and tendons of the neck are stretched or torn. The pain can be quite extreme, though it can also be deceptively mild to begin with. This injury is also well known for having a long lasting effect on your health and being difficult to recover from.
Know The Symptoms
Because the symptoms of whiplash can vary from mild to severe, many people don’t realize that they have it until some time has passed after the accident. Seeking a full medical evaluation right away can help you to identify and treat the injury as soon as possible. It also helps to know the different symptoms of whiplash, so that even if your pain is not severe at this time, you can recognize the condition in time to seek treatment and protect your right to compensation.
The most common symptoms of whiplash include some amount of pain and a decreased range of motion, so that it may be difficult to turn your head. You may also notice a hard or knotted feeling in your neck muscles. You may experience stiffness or increased pain when you attempt to turn your head too far or even to nod your head. In some cases, you will also experience discomfort or pain in your back muscles and/or tinnitus, which is a ringing sound in your ears.
Pain and Other Symptoms Can Be Delayed
After an auto accident, your body is experiencing the effects of adrenaline, and this might prevent you from feeling the pain of your injuries. Furthermore, you naturally expect to feel some pain and stiffness after an accident, and it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have a serious injury, so you may write it off and wait for your aches and pains to improve on their own. If you don’t experience severe pain right away, then you may not know you have whiplash.
You might not feel any pain at all, with the adrenaline coursing through your system, until several hours or even days have passed. It is very common for someone to walk away from an auto accident, believing they are uninjured, only to wake up the next day in severe pain.
What To Do When You Have Symptoms of Whiplash
If you’ve been in an Ohio auto accident and you notice any symptoms that could be indicative of a whiplash injury, you should seek medical treatment right away. If you have symptoms at the scene of the accident, then this will certainly assist in catching the injury as soon as possible. However, even if you have no symptoms of any injuries at all, seeking a full medical evaluation is always wise after an auto accident. For one thing, medical professionals tend to know what to look for. So, maybe you don’t feel any pain, but when the doctor asks you to turn your head, he or she notices the limited range of motion. This is just one example of how a physician can identify an injury that you are not yet aware of. The sooner you seek treatment, the better off you will be, both in terms of your health and in terms of your auto accident injury claim.
Seeking Compensation for Your Whiplash Injury
If you are suffering from a whiplash injury after an Ohio auto accident, then you have a right to compensation for your medical expenses, any time that you take off of work, and your pain and suffering. The best way to get the compensation that you deserve is not to trust the auto insurance company, but to put your faith in a determined Cleveland, Ohio car crash attorney. The insurance company will want to deny, delay, or minimize the value of your claim. Your lawyer will know how to stop them from taking advantage of you and ensure that you get the compensation you need and deserve to recover from your injuries in peace.
