What Are the Symptoms of Whiplash?

Understanding the symptoms of whiplash is an important way to diagnose your injuries after an accident. The symptoms of whiplash may surprise you. Most people know some signs like stiffness in the neck.

However, other symptoms like memory loss and irritability are not as obvious. If you’ve been in an accident, it’s essential to be aware of what whiplash is and what the symptoms are. Learn more about the symptoms of whiplash from our experienced Denver car accident lawyers.

What Are the Symptoms of Whiplash?

The symptoms of whiplash include:

• Pain
• Stiffness
• Soreness
• Loss of mobility
• Irritability
• Headaches
• Lack of concentration
• Tenderness

How Do I Know If I Have Whiplash From a Car Accident?

You know if you have whiplash from a car accident if you have pain, soreness or a loss of mobility in your neck and shoulders after a car accident. If your head, neck, and shoulders don’t feel like they did before the car accident, there’s a good chance that whiplash is to blame. It’s essential to verify your symptoms with a medical care provider to ensure that you don’t have other injuries that require additional attention or emergency care.

How Do You Diagnose Whiplash?

You diagnose whiplash through consultations with your doctor, imaging tests like CT scans and MRIs, and a review of your self-reported symptoms. Through a combination of reporting, evaluating your symptoms, and conducting diagnostic tests, you can diagnose whiplash. It’s important to understand the symptoms of whiplash to diagnose whiplash through diagnostic testing, evaluations, and a review of your own, self-reported symptoms.

Whiplash Unusual Symptoms

Many people associate certain symptoms with whiplash. They assume that stiffness in the neck, soreness, and limited motion are signs of whiplash. However, whiplash is much more than just aches and pains. Whiplash can be small, micro-tears of the muscles, ligaments, joints, nerves, and discs that make up the head, neck, shoulders, and spine. While some of the symptoms of whiplash are known, other signs of whiplash are more subtle.

Here are some of the more unusual symptoms of whiplash:

• Headaches that won’t go away
• Pain between shoulder blades
• The feeling of pins and needles in the upper body
• The inability to remember events or people
• Loss of consciousness
• Shooting pain down the arm
• The inability to concentrate
• Feeling fatigued
• Dizziness
• Trouble seeing
• Ringing in the ears
• Tenderness
• Reduced motion
• Back pain in any region of the back including the lower back
• Emotional trauma and anxiety

It can be easy to overlook the less obvious symptoms of whiplash. For example, unexplained irritability can be an indicator that a person is suffering from whiplash. Sudden anxiety can also be a sign of whiplash. When mental and emotional injuries appear, it’s important to rule out an underlying cause. You may be surprised to learn that whiplash is to blame.

Can Whiplash Symptoms Get Worse Over Time?

Yes, whiplash symptoms can get worse over time. In the days following the accident, the symptoms of whiplash can become more severe and more noticeable. Stiffness may increase before symptoms begin to subside.

When symptoms are untreated, or when repeated trauma occurs, whiplash can get worse. Carefully following a treatment plan can reduce symptoms. However, in some cases, whiplash symptoms can get worse over time.

How Long Will It Take to Recover From Whiplash?

It will take between six weeks and ten years to recover from whiplash. There’s a wide range in the recovery time for whiplash based on the severity of the injuries. Some whiplash injuries heal in a handful of weeks. Other whiplash injuries heal only after many years with very dedicated care and medical treatment. How long it will take to recover from whiplash ranges from weeks to years depending on the severity of the symptoms and the effectiveness of the treatment plan. This is why it’s important to ensure your whiplash settlement includes any treatment you may need in the future.

Whiplash Symptoms Delayed

Whiplash symptoms delayed mean that you don’t notice your whiplash symptoms right away. Right after an accident occurs, you may not feel all of your injuries right away. It can take a day or two for stiffness and soreness to set in.

It’s important not to assume that you know how bad your injuries are immediately after the accident. Whiplash symptoms delayed are common in many injury cases. Your symptoms may appear and continue to worsen for several days after the accident.

What Happens If Whiplash Is Left Untreated?

If whiplash is left untreated, the symptoms of whiplash can continue, including headaches, confusion, stiffness, and pain. In addition, untreated whiplash can lead to additional injuries like back pain because of compensation for injured muscles and tendons.

Untreated whiplash can cause chronic pain both in the neck and shoulders as well as in other areas of the body. It can lead to long-term discomfort and additional injuries throughout the body.

Can Whiplash Cause Neurological Problems?

Yes, whiplash can cause neurological problems. Whiplash weakens the strength of the neck, shoulders, and back. A person suffering from whiplash tends to compensate with other areas of the body, such as putting unnecessary strain on the lower back.

In addition to overcompensation, stiffness, and a loss of range of motion can contribute to neurological problems from whiplash ^[1]. Whiplash can cause neurological problems by damaging muscles, tendons, and ligaments and by causing overuse of other tissues to mitigate discomfort like soreness and stiffness.

Contact Our Denver Car Accident Attorneys

Do you think that you may be suffering from whiplash? Have you been in an accident? The symptoms of whiplash are serious. It’s important to treat your whiplash aggressively.

If you’re in an accident and you suffer from whiplash, you may deserve financial compensation. Our attorneys can help you claim the financial compensation that the law may allow. It’s important not to assume that your whiplash will go away on its own or that you automatically have to bear the financial burdens of your medical treatment. Instead, you can talk with our attorneys about your rights.

We fight aggressively for victims of whiplash. Call us today for a free consultation about your case. Our attorneys are standing by to help you.

Sources

[1] Elsevier. (2016, December 7). Whiplash symptoms are caused by actual changes in the brain. ScienceDaily. Retrieved 3 October, 2019 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/12/161207091324.htm