Whiplash, Neck, and Back Injury
Did you know whiplash is one of the most common injuries that result from an automobile accident? This neck and back injury often occurs to drivers and passengers on board automobiles that are struck from behind. The force generated from a rear-end collision may cause the head to violently snap forward then back. As a result, it affects the soft tissues, causing the neck and back injury.
Over the years, the term “whiplash” developed a negative connotation. Today the term used by many people, especially in the medical field, is cervical sprain. Others may refer to it as cervical strain or hyperextension injury.
But no matter the nomenclature, this neck and back injury can be potentially catastrophic. The sudden jerking motion can cause the drivers or passengers to hit their heads on something hard. This can produce head trauma or serious concussion.
And even at slow speeds, the unexpected back and forth motion can result to tears to ligaments and muscles. But one of the worst things that can happen is when it breaks the vertebrae. The neck and back injury may result in paralysis.
While whiplash is common in rear-end collisions and similar automobile accidents, the injury may also occur in slips and falls, participation in contact sports, or direct assault to the head using blunt force.
Effects of Whiplash
In most cases, the consequences of whiplash may become apparent immediately. The injured person may feel serious neck pain or dizziness as a result. There may also be problems associated with equilibrium and balance. Some headaches too may be present along with stiffness or tightness of the neck muscles.
But it is not uncommon for the injured person to feel the effects of whiplash at a much later time. When the heat of the moment has died down or when he or she has had time to relax after the stressful event, that’s the time when the consequences of whiplash may be felt.
During the course of the next few hours, days, or even weeks, the injured person may experience memory problems or challenges with concentration. Here, the neck and back injury progressed from a mere strain to cognitive or mental decline.
Dealing with Whiplash or Neck and Back Injury
There may be some symptoms of whiplash that will emerge right after the incident that caused it. But while it may be minor at first, if left untreated, the whiplash injury (or any related neck and back injury) can develop as a chronic musculoskeletal problem. This may also make the injured person more susceptible to other neck and back injury in the future.
Contact Us
If you or your loved one has been involved in a automobile accident and suffered a whiplash injury (or any related neck and back injury), it is important that you seek ample medical attention immediately. An undiagnosed or untreated whiplash injury may result in a more serious problem for you in the future.
You also need to make sure that you contact an experienced Las Vegas personal injury attorney to help you pursue your legal action against the offender who caused it.
Get in touch with Dan Lovell of Empire Law Group.
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