Whiplash? Car accidents are the leading cause. While whiplash injuries are often sustained in car accidents, this is hardly the only culprit.
Here are some other notable causes of whiplash and neck injuries:
– Bicycles
– Skiing
– Horseback riding
– Motorcycles
– Skateboards
Visualize this if you will. You’re riding along leisurely on your bicycle, in the specified bicycle lane, on a clear day. The road is clear of traffic and you are no more than 10 minutes from home. Life is good, you think to yourself. Seemingly out of no where, a car swerves into your lane. You aren’t riding very fast, but nevertheless are compelled to clamp down on the brakes.
In addition to this, you are forced to let your feet drop down to the road, to avoid being tossed from your bike. Your torso is violently snapped forward and back. Fortunately, your reflexes get you safely out of the car’s path and you are able to make it to the side of the road. However, you notice a dull ache in your neck. After about 10 minutes, the dull aches evolves into shooting pain moving from your neck down to your shoulders. You wisely go to the hospital, where you are diagnosed with a somewhat mild case of whiplash. Cars accidents and collisions are the usual suspects, but not in this case.
Shaken baby syndrome is another unfortunate cause of whiplash. This is when a small child, usually 5 years or younger is shaken violently. It creates the same sort of sudden acceleration/deceleration movement that a collision in the rear of a car does.
Symptoms of whiplash include:
– Stiffness in neck and or shoulders. difficulty in turning the head in one or either direction
– Neck pain. Mild or sharp. Shooting pain traveling down towards torso
– Headaches
– Memory loss
– Blurred vision
– Irritability. Unable to concentrate. Mood swings
Once whiplash is diagnosed, get medical care and treatment. The above mentioned symptoms do not always show up right away. Shrugging this injury off can lead to debilitating, life-long pain and needless suffering. Not to mention, missed days from work and sky high medical bills.
The most frequent cause of whiplash injuries are car accidents. This is the undisputed king of personal injury claims brought against insurance companies. Millions of people have sought compensation for this injury. No question about it.
OK, so you didn’t injure your neck in a car. Whiplash, as pointed out above can happen in a multitude of ways. Because you hurt your neck while skiing, doesn’t mean it should be dismissed as something else. Whatever the cause, get a full medical report and if need be, seek whiplash compensation.