| What is Neck Whiplash and How Does It Happen?
Whiplash is most often caused in car crashes when the car in which the whiplash victim is suffering is forced to accelerate from a stationary position to speed and then stop again, all in a matter of seconds. This stop start motion causes the soft tissue in the neck and spine to be over stretched and over strained due to the sudden forceful motion.
What Does Whiplash Pain Feel Like?
Whiplash pain can come out in many different symptoms, including:
• Stiffness in the neck
• Stiffness in the back and shoulders
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Pins and Needles in the arms or shoulders
• A feeling of heaviness in the arms
What Should You Do If You Think You May Have Whiplash?
The first thing to say is that most whiplash injuries are minor and more often than not a full recovery is made. However, to be completely safe if you have been involved in a car accident and are suffering from any of the whiplash symptoms above you should seek medical attention from your doctor or local Accident and Emergency Department. They will be able to carry out a full assessment and diagnose the extent of your whiplash injury. In the most sever cases a neck fracture can occur, so an X ray will quickly rule this out.
What Other Action Can You Take?
You can apply an ice pack to the neck or shoulders to reduce the inflammation. An ice pack can take the form of a bag of frozen peas or other vegetables if you do not have any ice bags in the freezer. Use a tea towel to wrap the ice bag in to prevent ice burns to the skin.
Paracetamol can also be used to reduce the pain.
Can Exercise Improve The Pain?
Whereas the traditional treatment used to involve immobilisation in a soft collar around the neck this has shown that it often increases the time for recovery. Often the best way to progress is to carry on as normally as possible.
Bed rest should not last longer than two or three days.
The Prognosis?
Most people make a full recovery from a whiplash injury. The pain can last for a few weeks or months but on most occasions a full recovery is made.
However, there are some people who will suffer from longterm effects of a whiplash injury. Early intervention provides the best chance of avoiding these longer term whiplash injuries.
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