Whiplash: Understanding the Causes and Symptoms

Nick Manteris

Dec 08 2024

What Is Whiplash?

Whiplash is a type of neck injury that happens when your head moves quickly back and forth, like in a car crash. This sudden movement can hurt the neck’s muscles, ligaments, and the discs between the bones in your neck.

If you have whiplash, you might feel neck pain, headaches, dizziness, or have trouble moving your neck. These signs show that the soft tissues in your neck are damaged.

Causes of Whiplash

Whiplash happens when your neck moves back and forth very quickly, like a whip. This usually happens in car accidents, especially when one car hits another from behind.

Risk Factors

Things that make someone more likely to get whiplash include being in a car accident, especially when hit from behind. These crashes can jerk the neck out of place, causing injury. People in cars without good protective gear, like a headrest not set right, are more at risk. It is important to have the headrest at the right height and the seat properly set to help protect the neck.

Common Symptoms

Symptoms of whiplash include headaches. They usually start at the base of the skull. Sometimes, people also feel pain in their shoulders and upper back because the injury affects those areas too. This pain can lead to other problems like dizziness and feeling very tired.

Complications of Whiplash

Whiplash might seem like a minor injury, but if not treated right, it can cause long-lasting pain and other problems. One issue is nerve damage, which can make the pain worse and last longer. This pain might show up in the neck, shoulders, or back, and could mean more serious damage to muscles or the spinal cord. Besides physical pain, whiplash can also lead to mental health issues like PTSD.

When to Seek Help

If you have whiplash, it is important to know when to see a doctor. Getting help early can make sure you get an accurate diagnosis and avoid problems later.