Car accidents result in a variety of injuries. The type of accident, force of the crash, and health and age of the occupants play a role in determining how severe the physical harm will be. When thinking about injuries that can inhibit a person’s life, broken bones, head trauma, and back injuries often come to mind first. Soft tissue injuries, like whiplash, however, can seriously impact a person’s day-to-day life.
Whiplash, which is another term for a neck strain or sprain, is one of the most common injuries a person can sustain after a wreck. This has a lot to do with the forces the body is subjected to in a crash. When the neck is rapidly forced back and forth, like the cracking of a whip, the bones in the spine, disks between bones, muscles, ligaments, nerves, and tissues can be injured. While the discomfort may not be immediate depending on the severity of the injury, the symptoms that follow are likely to be painful.
If you’ve been diagnosed with whiplash or you are concerned you may have developed the condition, you’ll benefit from understanding as much about the condition as you can, in addition to seeking medical treatment and following your doctor’s orders.