Whiplash- Causes and Effects

Whiplash injuries are the most common injuries sustained in a motor accident especially in collisions and crashes. It occurs particularly when there is sudden change in speed of the vehicle. It can also transpire when a person falls from horses, skis and bikes or during diving or in a roller coaster or in airplane crashes or during other strenuous exercises. The most affected area is the neck and the spine. The other areas which are distressed include the shoulder, back, arm, eyes, ears and the head. Forced bending of the neck to and fro causes this injury. The tissues, muscles, nerves, ligaments and tendons are affected in the process.

Normally the symptoms include pain in the neck, back and the shoulders. Numbness and giddiness may arise in some cases. In rare and peculiar incidents the patient may have amnesia, unconsciousness and vision related problems. Whiplash injuries range from mild to very serious injuries. If they are light injuries they pass off after a few days. If not it is not odd for symptoms to continue for a few months sometimes more. In case the symptoms persist it should be a severe case and the patient should get in touch with a doctor. Whiplash injuries are detected through scans (CT or MRI) and x-rays in the hospitals.

So what should be done immediately after the accident if whiplash injuries are suspected? The patient should be made to lie down with his/her head in the pillow. An ice pack should be applied around the neck in bouts of 20 minutes on the first day. A paracetomol tablet should help the patient in relieving pain. Small gentle exercises like rolling the eyes, slightly bending the head, looking sideways should be performed. Softballs can be used to relieve the stress in the head. Most doctors recommend normal day to day activities after three days in bed for a speedier recovery.

In case there are broken or dislocated bones then the recovery will be slow. Then the patient should take it slow and steady and as per the Doctors instructions. Sometime fear of the part of patient causes syndrome. They have extended periods of headache, sleeplessness and fatigue. In this case they can acquire help from a physiotherapist. The physiotherapist studies the nature of the injury and recommends exercises for the patient. Very rarely the patients are given medication other than pain killers. The physiotherapist will recommend exercises according the age and health conditions and the history of the patient and the extent of the injury. Most people make a complete recovery from the injury while for a few there is enduring pain.

Whiplash injury protection equipment in cars is beginning to appear. Manufacturers like Mercedes Benz, Jaguar, Toyota, Volvo and Nissan have installed protection equipment in their cars. Unacquainted about the seriousness of this injury there was not much protection equipment available earlier. Now the awareness is slowly spreading. We have better designed cars and car seats now that have benefited the people

Your neck can incur whiplash injury due to any sort of a sudden jerk caused to the neck.