How Do I Know if I Have a Whiplash Injury?

Neck pain, whiplash injury
Neck pain, whiplash injury

If you’re injured in an accident, you may be stuck wondering whether your pain is normal or indicative of serious problems. One common injury that causes this confusion is whiplash. After sustaining a whiplash injury, you must react quickly – the consequences of not taking action, medically and legally, can haunt you for a lifetime.

How People Develop Whiplash

Whiplash results from a sudden movement of the head. Your neck ligaments and tendons are damaged due to these movements. You’ll often hear of whiplash injuries after car wrecks, but they can also result from falls and other accidents that cause your head to jerk around.

Warning Signs of Whiplash

If you or a family member sustained an injury, there are several whiplash warning signs you should keep an eye out for.

  1. Neck problems: If your neck loses its range of motion or experiences stiffness or pain, which can sometimes intensify with movement, you might have whiplash.
  2. Headaches: Headaches are another common sign of whiplash. They could point towards whiplash or a more serious problem. Either way, it’s important to seek medical attention.
  3. Shoulder, back and arm issues: Your upper back and shoulders could become tender or experience pain after a whiplash injury. This is true for your arms as well, but you may also experience numbness or a tingling sensation.
  4. Exhaustion: If you become constantly tired, lightheaded or dizzy after an accident, this could also be a sign of whiplash.

The Aftermath of Whiplash

If you’re lucky, this injury won’t be detrimental to your life. This isn’t always the case, though. That’s why there are several things you should understand about the aftermath of whiplash injuries.

Long-Term Issues

Your doctor needs to know if you experienced whiplash, because there are potential long-term issues with the condition. Over time, your attitude and sleep patterns could change. Additionally, you may experience auditory and visual difficulties. Even worse, you could become forgetful or depressed over time.

Medical Diagnosis

If you don’t seek appropriate treatment, your doctor cannot prescribe the best course of recovery. You could even have more serious issues, such as fractures, that go undiagnosed.

Life on Standby

Even with a positive prognosis, it takes time to heal. During recovery, you may be unable to work, play with your children or any other number of activities you enjoy. This is all in addition to medical bills. If you don’t seek legal help, you may not get appropriate compensation considering the amount of time you’ll need to heal.

The consequences of not taking action, medically and legally, can prove detrimental when it comes to whiplash. Make sure you fully understand the condition and get the help you need. If you need some help determining if you have a claim, contact a Cleveland injury attorney at our law firm today for your free consultation.

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