Whiplash is one of the most common neck injuries experienced by people involved in car crashes and sports accidents. The injury is a result of a rapid and forceful back-and-forth jerking of the head and neck, which resembles a whip cracking.

It’s not uncommon for symptoms of whiplash to manifest hours or even days after an injury. You may be feeling fine at first but wake up with severe neck pain a day or two later. What’s more, even seemingly minor accidents, such as being rear-ended by a car driving less than 10 miles per hour, can cause whiplash.

There are many potential causes of whiplash, including:

• Motor vehicle accidents (typically rear-end collisions, but also other types of accidents, like side swipes or head-on collisions)
• Contact sports, like injuries from football, soccer or hockey
• Slips and falls
• Physical assault

If you have been hurt in an accident or physically assaulted, seek immediate medical attention to rule out whiplash or any other acute injury. If left untreated, whiplash can lead to serious side effects, like chronic neck pain, limited range of motion and spinal misalignment.

Signs of Whiplash

A potential whiplash incident should be enough to prompt you to see a doctor, even if you’re not experiencing any symptoms. Most people with whiplash will experience symptoms either immediately or hours after their accident. However, adrenaline may delay the onset of symptoms.

Neck Ache or Stiffness

Even if your pain or stiffness is mild, you should still seek a medical evaluation. If you ignore your pain, it may lead to more severe discomfort and mobility problems in the future. Dismissing post-accident stiffness as a minor inconvenience not worthy of medical intervention can potentially jeopardize your ability to file an injury claim in the future.

Headaches

Experiencing new or abnormal headaches is a common sign of whiplash. Headaches radiating from where the spine meets the base of your skull are typical after whiplash injuries. After the injury, it’s a good idea to pay close attention to the location, intensity and frequency of any new headaches and discuss these symptoms with your doctor.

Reduced Energy and Changes in Mood

Whiplash victims may experience reduced energy and unexplained changes in mood, such as irritation, anxiety and even depression. If you’ve been in an accident, it may be easy to chalk up these symptoms to psychological stress, but feeling off may also indicate a physical injury, like whiplash.

Pain Radiating Down the Arm

Whiplash can cause pinched nerves in your arms. A pinched nerve may cause you to feel a dull burning sensation, numbness or tingling in one or both of your arms. These sensations may also affect your hands and typically don’t manifest until days or weeks after the traumatic incident.

Low Back Pain

Although whiplash is a neck injury, it can have a profound effect on the low back. The rapid back and forth snapping of the head can also transfer a significant amount of force down the length of the spine, resulting in low back pain.



Concussion

Your brain isn’t designed to withstand impacts with the inside of your skull, which may occur due to the rapid whipping of the head. It’s not uncommon for serious whiplash injuries to result in concussions. If you’re experiencing sudden dizziness, nausea and ringing in the ears, chances are you’re suffering from both whiplash and a concussion, both of which require medical treatment.

How to Treat Whiplash

To restore your health and heal your injury, your doctor or chiropractor may prescribe a variety of treatments, including:

• Bedrest
• Over-the-counter pain medication, like Ibuprofen or Tylenol
• Alternating heat and cold therapy

If your pain is severe, you may need to be given prescription medication, muscle relaxants or numbing injections. In serious cases, people can have a tough time recovering from whiplash, especially if they didn’t seek medical attention right away after the accident. Your doctor may recommend physical therapy to help alleviate the pain and improve your range of motion.

Seek Immediate Care for Your Whiplash Injury

If you’ve been in an auto accident in Georgia, it’s of utmost importance to seek prompt medical care. Don’t wait until your injuries cause you unbearable pain or your experience avoidable complications.

At HURT911, our experienced medical professionals provide high-quality care and personalized treatments to patients with a variety of accident-related injuries, including whiplash.

Visit one of our renowned Atlanta injury centers and let us help restore your health.

To schedule your same-day appointment, call 1-800-HURT-911.