3 Common Neck Injuries Caused by Car Accidents

Neck and spine injuries resulting from a car accident can take days or even weeks to show their first symptoms.

When it comes to car accident injuries, most people think about broken bones, open wounds, or traumatic brain injuries. However, not all traumas leave immediately visible marks. Some even take a few days or weeks to show the first symptoms, making it difficult for victims to link them to the incident.

Neck and spine injuries are such an example. Let’s see what are the most common ones and what kind of accident causes them.

Whiplash

Whiplash is one of the most common neck injuries caused by a car crash. It happens especially when your car is hit from behind, causing your head to suddenly be thrown in front. This can injure the muscles and soft tissue in your cervical area, which can cause pain and discomfort for days, weeks, or even months.

A lot of times, whiplash is ignored as the victim doesn’t notice it right away. In the accident and immediately after, the victims are often so pumped with adrenaline that they don’t feel the pain from their neck injuries. A few days later, they start noticing the first signs, but it can be too late.

Whiplash symptoms often include stiffness, headaches, neck and shoulder pain, and decreased mobility. In very severe cases, the victim will have problems with their balance or vision.

Disc Hernia

The soft part of the vertebrae can be moved out of place by the impact following a car crash and press against a nerve. This causes a lot of pain and lack of mobility, tingling sensations, and numbness in your arms or legs.

A herniated disc can generally be treated with physiotherapy or, in some cases, only through surgery.

Injured Vertebrae

The massive forces that pull and push your body during a car accident can hurt your biggest bone structure easily. The spine may be composed of relatively large bones, but its structure is quite delicate. Moreover, it protects one of the most important parts of your neural system: the spinal cord. A car accident can cause the vertebrae to dislocate and even fracture, which can vary from mild to severe.

When dislocated, your vertebrae move, and the ligaments holding them together are torn. When the vertebrae are not only dislocated but also fractured, your injury becomes much more dangerous, as fragments of broken bone might enter your spinal canal and lead to temporary or permanent paralysis.

Have You Been Injured in an Automobile Accident?

If you have suffered from a neck or back injury following a car accident, please make sure a doctor sees you as soon as possible. Make sure to also seek legal advice from an experienced car accident attorney. Your medical treatment should be covered by the insurance company, and the settlement should also include a “pain and suffering” coefficient.

Be sure to go to all necessary investigations, like MRI scans or CAT scans, and follow your doctor’s recommendations thoroughly. It will all count when it comes to your car accident settlement.