Whiplash & Whiplash Injury St. Louis

whiplash

Addressing Delayed Injuries After a Car Accident

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One of the biggest mistakes someone can make after a car accident is to dismiss an injury as nothing serious without having proper tests run.

When you are in an automobile accident, the car hits something and stops, but your body does not. The types of injuries that are most common in car accidents are also those that might not surface right away.

The biggest mistake that someone can make is to think that an injury is nothing serious and dismiss it without having proper tests run. If you are injured in an accident, even if you think that it is just a minor bruise or soreness, it is critical to receive medical care immediately.

woman on bed with neck pain

Chain of Causation

Not only do you need to receive medical attention in case the injuries need to be addressed so that they don’t become major, you also need to create something called a “chain of causation.”

If you are injured and you don’t get the appropriate medical services immediately following the accident, there is the potential that you will not be able to prove that your injuries were a direct cause of the car accident. That would make it more difficult to win your case if you should have to file a claim to be compensated. Going from the accident to the hospital and having proper tests run creates a chain of evidence helping proving your injuries were the result of the car accident.

Whiplash

One of the most common types of injuries that people sustain in an accident is something called whiplash. Whiplash occurs when the soft tissue of the neck is injured. Often the signs of whiplash appear to be just a little stiffness or soreness.

If you leave a neck injury unchecked, it is possible to have serious problems later on. The soft tissue of the neck, when inflamed, can cause tears in the discs and lead to further complications and neck and spine problems in the future.

Other Soft Tissue Injuries

Typically, if you are in a fender bender, the soreness that you have goes away within a day or two. If you notice that your bruises are not healing the way that you thought they would, it is important that you seek medical care.

Soft tissue injuries can lead to chronic edema that can wreak havoc on your joints and bones and lead to further issues. If you sustain an injury in a car accident, you might need to have physical rehabilitation or other medical treatment to prevent a minor injury from becoming major.

Internal Bleeding

If the car stops suddenly and your body doesn’t, it is possible for you to hit things like the window of the dashboard. If you have any blunt force trauma, it can lead to internal bleeding or a traumatic brain injury.

If you lose consciousness at all, it is critical that you go to the emergency room to make sure that you get the help you need to address any internal bleeding or brain injuries that might be going on.

If you are in an accident and injured, even if you think the injuries are minor, it is critical that you address them immediately. Those things that seem minor can have a delayed onset, and if you don’t prove that they are injuries you sustained in the accident, you’ll have a hard time getting the compensation that you need.

Common Injuries Resulting From Whiplash

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Whiplash injuries can manifest in a variety of ways such as neck pain, upper back and shoulder pain, headaches, fatigue, low back pain, and cognitive changes.

St. Louis man with lower back pain

When many people think about whiplash, they may just think of neck or back pain. However, whiplash injuries can manifest in a variety of ways such as neck pain, upper back and shoulder pain, headaches, fatigue, low back pain, and cognitive changes.

Each patient may experience a different set of symptoms based on various factors such as direction and force of impact, speed of the vehicles at the time of the crash, and age, sex, and physical condition of the person. Also, symptoms of whiplash may not be immediately apparent and may show up days or even weeks after the crash. In this post, our car accident lawyer will discuss some of the common injuries resulting from whiplash trauma.

Neck Pain

Neck pain is reported by almost 90 percent of those who suffer whiplash. The pain radiates across the shoulders, between the shoulder blades, and up into the head. Whiplash trauma can affect the tissues of the neck including discs between the vertebrae and the facet joints.

The most common cause of neck pain from a car accident is facet joint pain. It is felt at the back of the neck and the area is tender to touch. Disc injury is also a common cause of chronic neck pain.

Damage to the ligaments and muscles in the neck and upper back are the leading cause of late-appearing pain.

Headaches

Headaches are the second most common symptom of a whiplash injury, and they affect nearly 80 percent of patients. Some headaches may result from a brain injury, others are related to injury of the facet joints, ligaments, and muscles.

Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJ)

It is a serious, but less common disorder resulting from whiplash. TMJ begins as pain and popping noises in the jaw with every movement.

Brain Injury

Whiplash trauma can lead to mild or moderate brain injury. Our brain is a very delicate structure and is suspended in fluid call the cerebrospinal fluid. The violent motion of the skull can cause the brain to bounce off inside the skull. This can lead to bleeding or bruising in the brain. The patient may experience symptoms of a concussion and may lose consciousness. In most cases, the patient just experiences disorientation and confusion after the injury. Any type of brain injury can have serious long term effects.

Dizziness

Injury to the facet joints of the cervical spine can cause dizziness. In some cases, dizziness can result from an injury to the brain or brain stem.

Lower Back Pain

Surprisingly, whiplash trauma can cause lower back pain as well. Lower back pain was reported in more than half of the rear-end collisions and in three-quarters of all side-impact collisions.

Seeking Legal Help

Even mild whiplash injuries may take months to heal. However, more than 20 percent of the patients continue to experience pain, restricted movement, and weakness for up to two years.

If you have suffered whiplash in a car accident caused by another driver’s fault, you should seek legal help from a competent St. Louis whiplash lawyer. Give us a call at (314) 361-4242 for a FREE consultation with an experienced attorney.

Read more: Whiplash Treatment

What You Should Know About Whiplash

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Every year, more than 3 million auto accident victims endure a whiplash injury.

st louis car wreck attorney whiplashWhiplash injuries are most often caused by rear-end car collisions and are the most common type of neck injury. Whiplash ranges in severity from minor soft tissue damage to nerve and spinal damage. Symptoms are often delayed and it is common for a person not to seek medical treatment right away because of a lack of pain. However, complications of untreated whiplash include chronic pain and disability.

What is Whiplash?

One of the most common auto accident claim for injury is whiplash. Whiplash is not a medical term; rather it describes the neck pain associated with damage to the soft tissues such as the muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Whiplash is caused when the neck is violently moved back and forth beyond the normal range of motion. A doctor may diagnose whiplash as cervical sprain, cervical strain, or hyperextension injury. Rear-end collisions often cause whiplash injury. Other types of car accidents that cause whiplash include T-bone car accidents, head-on collisions, and rollover accidents.

Symptoms of Whiplash

Whiplash is not in itself a deadly injury; however, it often results in chronic pain and disability. Most symptoms will present with 24 hours of the injury, yet the symptoms can be delayed for weeks after an accident. Because of delayed symptoms, it is critical for a car accident victim to seek medical attention, even if he or she does not have any pain. Symptoms of whiplash include:

Treatment for Whiplash

The treatment for whiplash has changed over the last several years. A car accident victim with a neck injury was most often fitted with a soft cervical collar to be worn for several weeks to immobilize the area. Now this is considered to slow the healing process because the loss of range of motion leads to increased pain and stiffness. Damaged muscles become less flexible and do not heal properly with less blood flow to the soft tissues and may cause muscle atrophy. It is believed that excessive rest and immobilization contributes to chronic pain. The recommended method of treatment is early range of motion exercises combined with pain management. Physical therapy and occupational therapy can help a patient return to normal daily activities.

Consult with a St. Louis Car Wreck Attorney

If you have been injured in a car accident and have suffered a whiplash injury, call The Hoffmann Law Firm, L.L.C. at (314) 361-4242. We offer free consultations and you never pay attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.