Whiplash injury is one of the common reasons behind chronic neck pain. It occurs due to sudden neck movement or bending forcibly (head thrown forward-backward). This neck-related injury involves discs, nerves, muscles, and neck tendons. This can lead to headaches, neck pain, and related symptoms. Even though you might have heard about this condition, there are some facts about whiplash you should know.
What are the symptoms of Whiplash?
Some of the whiplash injury symptoms of this condition include the following:
- Shoulder and neck pain
- Stiffness in the neck
- Pain and numbness in the arm and hand
- Dizziness
Facts about Whiplash Injury:
It can occur at any time due to various reasons. Other causes of this condition can include sports like football, and boxing, or due to a fall or slip. Moreover, physical abuse can also lead to this neck-related injury. Some of the facts include the following:
– Symptoms of whiplash are not immediate:
Sometimes people don’t feel symptoms of whiplash for days or even weeks after the accident. The most common symptoms of this condition include neck and shoulder pain. These symptoms will develop over the span of a few days/weeks.
Other symptoms include the following:
- Headaches
- Muscles spasms
- Tingling
- Numbness
– Women are more likely to experience whiplash than men:
Several factors affect the symptoms of whiplash, their severity, or their length. These factors include your age, gender, posture, and physical condition. As you age, your neck muscles lose strength and flexibility.
Women experience whiplash injury more compared to men, statistically. The primary reason behind this is the smaller neck bones in women. Moreover, this condition can be worsened due to incorrect posture during the accident.
– Elder people are at a higher risk of suffering from whiplash:
As people age, they experience decreased muscle flexibility, limited movement, etc. Moreover, older people are more likely to suffer from a whiplash injury due to several degenerative changes, arthritis, etc.
– Whiplash injury doesn’t always occur due to a car accident:
A car accident isn’t the only reason/cause of whiplash injury. This injury is associated with abnormal neck motion causing a strain or damage to the neck muscles. Some other causes of this injury include the following:
- Sports-related injuries
- A sharp or sudden twist of the neck
- Physical abuse can also lead to whiplash.
When to seek medical attention?
In case of neck or back pain, kindly get in touch with KKT Orthopedic Spine Center. For booking an appointment at your nearest KKT center, click on the link below: