When you are rear-ended in a car crash, the force of the blow causes your head to sharply move back and forth, not unlike the cracking of a whip, hence the name of the injury you may sustain — whiplash. While whiplash is a well-known car accident injury, it is important to familiarize yourself with its symptoms so you can recognize them should you be involved in a car crash.
What is whiplash?
In a whiplash injury, the muscles in your neck, along with tendons and ligaments can be sprained or even torn. While your neck is not broken, a whiplash injury is serious. It can take months to heal from a whiplash injury.
Whiplash can be a hidden or “latent” injury. This means the injury is not immediately apparent following the crash. The injury may not manifest itself for a day or more following the collision.
What are some symptoms of whiplash?
Some symptoms of whiplash to look out for following a car crash include:
- Back pain
- Neck pain and stiffness
- Vertigo
- Headaches
- Problems with vision
- Muscle spasms
These symptoms often grow worse in the days following the crash and will continue to get worse as time goes on.
While we often associate whiplash with rear-end collisions, any collision can cause whiplash. Moreover, the collision need not be at a high speed or particularly violent to result in whiplash.
Whiplash can be a serious, long-lasting injury. If you suffered whiplash in a motor vehicle accident it is important to seek treatment. You can also discuss the injury with an attorney to determine if you have the grounds for a personal injury case.