So . . . you’re at a stop light in Vancouver WA when suddenly – boom!  You have been rear-ended by another vehicle!

 

 Car accidents happen.

 

Dozens of car crashes occur every day in Vancouver, WA.  As chiropractors, we see many patients shortly after a crash.  A common injury experienced by drivers and passengers in cars that are involved in auto accidents are whiplash injuries.  Whiplash is a painful neck injury that is caused when the head is thrust forward past the normal range of motion for the muscles, ligaments, and tendons that support it.

It’s most common to suffer a whiplash injury in a rear impact collision of a car while you are stationary in yours. However, even if that car is traveling at a mere 5 miles per hour, you can still suffer from a whiplash injury.

What Are the Symptoms of Whiplash?

Whiplash ranges in severity, with some individuals feeling nothing more than discomfort in the area, while others may be in constant pain and suffer with a host of other symptoms. Some of these can include:

Neck Pain:

Neck pain or a stiff neck is the result of swelling to the neck region. The over extension of the ligaments, tendons, and muscles will cause the muscle to swell.  Often, people will experience a full feeling in their throat.  This is from the tissue in the front part of the neck being damaged on the recoil, during the whiplash course. In some cases this pain is only obvious when you try and move your head or neck.

Headache:

While a mild headache after the trauma of a car or other accident should be expected, a severe or persistent headache could be caused by damage to an upper cervical disc. Pain will typically radiate upwards from the neck to the front forehead and be so painful as to cause light, sound, and even smell sensitivity.

Shoulder pain:

It is estimated that 26% of whiplash patients also suffer pain in the shoulder or between the shoulder blades. Of those, 5% suffer from an ailment known as impingement syndrome. Shoulder pain is not something to ignore as it’s a common area to create lingering, chronic pain if not treated quickly. This is a painful symptom of whiplash that affects the muscles in the rotator cuff of the shoulder.

Fatigue:

The fatigue felt from a whiplash injury is caused by the chronic pain and disturbances in sleep that pain causes.  This becomes a cycle, where pain leads to interrupted sleep, which further promotes inflammation, which then leads back to pain — see the problem!

Dizziness:

It’s not uncommon for our patients to experience periods of dizziness with a whiplash injury. This may be just a feeling of lightheadedness, or it could be vertigo, where you feel as if the room is spinning. It is believed that an interruption of normal blood flow through the neck is responsible for this symptom.

Arm pain and weakness:

The muscle spasms that occur in the neck muscles after the impact can cause referred pain and tingling to the arms, hands, and fingers. In some cases the cause is a nerve compression that has occurred from a herniated disc.

Visual and Hearing Disturbances

Some patients of whiplash report seeing spots of light, or having a light sensitivity. Ringing, or tinnitus, in the ears is another commonly reported effect of whiplash.

Lower Back Pain

Injury to a disc or the facet joint could radiate down to the lower back. This is a common side effect of whiplash that can leave the patient debilitated after the accident.

Whiplash Syndrome

Acute cases of whiplash can lead to a syndrome with a number of severe symptoms that are more difficult to define. These include mood disorders like anger and depression, frustration, anxiety, and acute stress. Patients may also suffer from insomnia and develop a drug dependency to try and cope with the pain.

What to Do if You Suspect You are Suffering from Whiplash

A prompt diagnosis from a chiropractor is the first step towards a full recovery from whiplash. Our chiropractors in Vancouver WA are hand selected and will be your best bet at achieving a full recovery.  They are highly experienced (more than most) at all facets affecting patients involved in a car accident Vancouver WA.  Treatment therapies will vary depending on your symptoms and severity of the injury, but will likely be costly and possibly long term.

If the whiplash was caused by an accident that was not your fault, an attorney may be able to help you recover those costs. The most important thing you can do is get treatment as fast as possible before the injury is exacerbated and symptoms worsen. Then speak with an attorney to determine if you have a valid claim for compensation.