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Home | Services | Services for you | Personal Injury | Road traffic accidents | Whiplash injury factsheet
Whiplash injury factsheet
Road traffic accidents are the most common cause of personal injuries and we specialise in dealing efficiently with whiplash claims, probably the most frequent type of injury sustained.
Whiplash is the term commonly used to describe the soft tissue injury sustained to the neck when a person receives a sudden jolt to their head which forces their head backwards and then immediately forwards in a whip like movement.
This is often caused by the impact in a road traffic accident, although other circumstances, including slips and trips and accidents at work may also result in a whiplash injury.
The force of the movement causes a sprain to the neck muscles and ligaments in the surrounding area. This can result in pain, stiffness and a restriction of movement in the neck area.
Where a more serious whiplash injury has occurred then this may also cause headaches, dizziness, pain in the shoulders and arms, pins and needles in the arms or fingers and back pain.
The severity of a whiplash injury can be affected by the direction of the impact or the position of the head at the time of the impact. An impact from the side or whilst you are turning your head to look for traffic at a junction for example can mean that your spine is not inline and more vulnerable.
A whiplash injury may not be noticed at the time of the accident. It is often the case that the symptoms will start to develop a day or two after the accident. The amount of pain and the length of time that it is felt varies greatly from person to person.
Some whiplash injuries can resolve within a few days or weeks or in more serious cases for several years. It is only a minority of whiplash injuries that result in long-term pain as most people make a full recovery within a relatively short space of time.
Useful websites
NHS Direct – contains information about conditions, treatment and services for all types of conditions. www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk
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