If you’ve been in a car accident, there’s a possibility that you have whiplash. Whiplash isn’t necessarily a condition; it’s mostly a cluster of symptoms that appear after your head has been subjected to severe jerking motions. These motions could be back and forth or side to side. This type of movement could injure your tissues and cervical spine bones.
If you leave whiplash untreated, it could cause severe and even permanent damage. In some cases, it leads to disability. At Georgia Injury Centers, we’re dedicated to providing you with the best care for your injuries. In this article, we’ll explore the top six signs that indicate you have whiplash after an accident.
Six Symptoms of Whiplash After a Car Accident
The days after a car accident can be pretty stressful, and most people don’t note their injuries until days after an accident. Therefore, you should look out for these signs of whiplash after an accident.
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Neck Pain
Neck pain is a sign of whiplash because whiplash occurs when you damage the ligaments and muscles in your neck. You could start experiencing neck pain depending on the severity of your injury. There are cases where the neck pain is in a specific area. At other times, the pain in general or one that radiates down your shoulder and also affects your hands or arms.
You can also experience similar pain when injuring your joints, bones, nerves, or even disks. However, if you’ve been involved in a collision, whiplash is a common injury and is most possibly, the reason for your neck pain.
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Shoulder and Back Pain
When you injure the soft tissues in your neck, the pain could get transferred to the soft tissues in the area. When this happens in whiplash, the shoulder and your upper back might also be subjected to pain because of the injury sustained.
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Limited Range of Motion
When you experience pain in an area, it’s normal not to move that part of your body. However, there are times when a limited range of motion is more severe. Sometimes, you cannot move like you usually do. If you have a damaged muscle, it could have consequences, and it’s the same when you have a torn ligament. After a car accident, it’s best to keep your arms and neck mobile so that you can regain movement and stay active.
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Headaches
When you damage your neck in a car accident, it might be related to your cervical spine. In such cases, it can lead to having headaches. Headaches could also result from neck and joint injuries; it could also result from whiplash stress. Even when there’s no injury to your head, you might experience tension pain headaches due to your whiplash injuries.
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Numbness, Tingles, and Weakness
Another symptom of whiplash is numbness, tingles, and weakness. Whiplash could cause inflammation or compression of the spinal nerve root in your neck. This could lead to tingling, like a pain and needles feeling in your neck. It could also cause numbness in your shoulder and your arms. Most times, this symptom occurs on just one side of your body. However, there are times when it indicates severe damage due to your accident.
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Fatigue and Sleeplessness
Whiplash can cause car accident victims to have trouble focusing. One of the six symptoms that you’re suffering from whiplash after a car accident is fatigue and sleeplessness. Car accidents can be pretty traumatizing, and most people have trouble focusing on things or sleeping afterward for many reasons. That’s why it’s important to seek treatments after a car accident.
Am I at Risk of Whiplash?
Anyone is vulnerable to whiplash, especially if you’re riding a car. However, some factors make the risk of whiplash greater. If you’re hit from behind in a car accident, you’re at a higher risk of whiplash. If you’re also in a stopped car during impact, there’s also an increased risk of whiplash. If you also have a history of neck pain, it increases your chances of whiplash
Seek Treatment for Your Whiplash Injury
If you think you’re suffering from whiplash after a car accident, you must seek medical attention. At Georgia Injury Centers, we’ll ensure you undergo diagnostic scans to determine if you have whiplash. We’ll also review your symptoms as whiplash doesn’t appear in scans.
If you’re experiencing any of the six symptoms above, contact our center today to begin your recovery process. Our medical team has years of experience treating injuries resulting from a car accident. We will provide you with an accurate assessment of your injury and provide you with a treatment plan unique to your situation.
