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An overview of whiplash injuries

On Behalf of | May 6, 2022 | Personal Injury Law |

The Oklahoma Department of Public Safety reported 169 motor vehicle accidents occurring across the state each day in 2020. As a result of crashes, drivers and passengers sometimes suffer injuries, including whiplash.

After getting into car wrecks, it may help people to understand this type of neck injury.

What causes whiplash?

According to MayoClinic.org, whiplash neck injuries occasionally occur when a force causes the neck to rapidly move backward and forward. For example, rear-end collisions commonly jolt vehicles forward, causing this whip-cracking motion and the resulting damage to the vertebrae, discs, muscles, nerves, ligaments or other tissues. In addition to auto accidents, contact sports, physical abuse and assault also sometimes cause this type of neck trauma.

What are the symptoms of whiplash?

Due to neck sprains and strains, people experience varying symptoms. Some of the most common of these include the following:

  • Pain, often worsening with movement
  • Stiffness and lost range of motion
  • Dizziness
  • Tingling or numbness in the arms
  • Headaches

Those with whiplash also sometimes experience blurred vision, difficulty concentrating and memory issues, sleep disturbances, depression and irritability. Often, the symptoms of this type of neck trauma occur immediately or within days of the injury.

How is whiplash treated?

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, medical treatment for whiplash often involves the use of medications and other modalities to help ease the pain. For instance, those who suffer these neck injuries may receive prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory and pain medications, muscle relaxants and antidepressants. Some may wear a cervical collar to help stabilize the neck during healing, as well as cervical traction and physical therapy.

Neck injuries resulting from auto and other such accidents often cause people pain and suffering, as well as cost them financially. Those who suffer whiplash, then, may consider options to recover their losses, such as pursuing legal action against the drivers who caused their crashes.

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