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Whiplash injuries : claim compensation

Whiplash is an injury that occurs from a sudden backward jerking of the head, affecting the soft tissues of the neck - the most common of car crash injuries. Whiplash injuries are very common, always a surprise and rarely the fault of the victim. Most whiplash injuries are minor and heal within a few weeks with the proper care. Unfortunately, a small number of patients - about 20 to 30% of whiplash injury cases - become chronic and lead to long-term discomfort.

Whiplash consists of some classic symptoms. Sometimes these symptoms occur immediately after a car crash and other times they may take weeks or even months to appear. Here's a list of the most common whiplash symptoms:

• Headache
• Neck pain
• Dizziness
• Shoulder pain
• Jaw pain
• Arm pain

 

• Are these symptoms familiar? Claim compensation.
• The key to recovering quickly from your whiplash injury is to understand how it occurred. Your body was not designed for the abnormal motions that occur during a collision.
• Normally, when your head moves forward and backward, all of the vertebrae participate equally and safely in the motion. Whiplash, however, is not normal motion. During a collision, which takes place in about the same time as a snap of your finger, your head is thrown backwards so forcibly and quickly that your body does not even have a chance to respond.
• Let's look at what happens to your neck during the four phases of a car collision:

	Phase 1 You're sitting in your car, with your head and neck positioned normally. This is what your neck looks like, just before the collision.
	Phase 2 Immediately after impact, the car seat shoves your back and chest forward. This results in your spine straightening. This rapid straightening creates a great deal of pressure on your neck joints.
	Phase 3 Next, within just a fraction of a second, your head and neck are thrust backwards, while your chest is still moving forward. These two parts of your body are yanked in opposite directions. This results in sharp bending in just one or two joints in your neck. Instead of the joints moving together, all of the stress is focused in one small area of your spine.
	Phase 4 Finally, your head is thrown forward, ending the whiplash motion.

• Why whiplash hurts... next >