Statistics show that approximately 120,000 people in the United States suffer from whiplash injury per year. This is the reason behind the insurance industry's scheme to attack soft tissue cases, such as whiplash, by spending millions of dollars in propaganda to make the public believe that such injuries do not exist. But what is whiplash? What causes it? How is it treated?
Whiplash injuries are the most common type of injuries that result from car accidents. Whiplash refers to pain and soreness in the neck (cervical spine) area that drivers and passengers experience following a car accident. Whiplash generally occurs from the sudden acceleration-deceleration force in rear-end collisions and motorists (and their passengers) are generally more prone to suffering from whiplash when their heads (or body) are turned.
When a motorist is struck from behind, the lower cervical vertebrae (lower bones in the neck) are forced into a position of hyperextension but the upper cervical vertebrae (upper bones in the neck) remain in a hyper-flexed position. The impact hence causes an abnormal S-shape in the neck (cervical spine) that is different from the normal motion, resulting in damage to the soft tissues (ligaments, facet capsules, muscles) that hold the cervical vertebrae together.
A whiplash injury may not manifest itself until one to two days after the accident. Hence, if you are involved in a car accident, it is very important to be examined by a professional even if you do not feel pain immediately following the accident.
The most common physical (objective) symptoms associated with whiplash include neck pain and neck stiffness, headache, shoulder pain and stiffness, fatigue, dizziness, jaw pain (temporomandibular joint symptoms - TMJ), arm weakness, arm pain, visual disturbances, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), and back pain. Additionally, motorists may suffer from non-physical (subjective) symptoms including stress, anxiety, depression, anger, and sleep disturbance (insomnia).
Often times, motorists in car accidents do nothing more than suppress symptoms of soft tissue injuries (such as whiplash) by taking pain-killers and anti-inflammatory medication, such as Ibuprofen. Although taking such medication may provide some short time relief, they will not heal the muscles, tendons or ligaments that were injured in the car accident. If soft tissue injuries (including whiplash) are left untreated, these injured muscles (tendons and ligaments) can lead to scar tissue and cause chronic pain for months, or even years, after an accident.
During the last 20 years, insurance companies have spent millions of dollars in propaganda to make the public believe that soft tissue injuries, such as whiplash, do not exist. However, anyone involved in a car accident and any health care professional in the field can confirm the fact that soft tissue injuries, including whiplash, are real and if left untreated, can result in long term problems.
