If you are involved in a car accident, whiplash injuries need to be taken very seriously. Because symptoms of a whiplash injury can take weeks or months to manifest, it is easy to be fooled into thinking that you are not as injured as you really are. Too often people don't seek treatment following a car accident because they don't feel hurt.
Definition of Michigan Whiplash
Mount Sinai Hospital[1] explains whiplash as a soft tissue neck injury that can include some or all of the following:
- Sprained neck ligaments
- Strained neck muscles
- Injury to cervical discs
- Possible nerve injury
Symptoms of Whiplash in Michigan
Symptoms, which can occur immediately after an injury, or several days later, can include:
- Stiff neck
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Numbness or tingling
- Dizziness
- Irritability
- Blurred vision
According to the Mayo Clinic,[2] whiplash occurs when an individual’s head is “forcefully and quickly thrown backward and then forward.” Some people with whiplash recover fully within a short time. Others, however, still experience pain for months or years after the accident and a very small percentage of people can develop bleeding or a blood clot[3].
Diagnosis of Michigan Whiplash
Unlike a broken bone where a simple x-ray can validate the presence of the fracture and standards of care can direct a health care professional as to the best way in which to handle the injury, whiplash injuries involve an unpredictable combination of nervous system, muscles joints and connective tissue disruption that is not simple to diagnose and can be even more of a challenge to treat. This may result in some car accident victims not receiving an appropriate whiplash diagnosis.
Michigan Treatment for Whiplash
The treatment of whiplash depends on the wide variety of symptoms that may be present. In the past, the initial treatment for whiplash was often a soft cervical collar for several weeks. The goal of the collar was intended to reduce the range of motion of the neck and to prevent any additional injuries. More recent studies have shown, however, that this prolonged immobilization actually slows the healing process.
Contact a Michigan Auto Accident Attorney
If you believe that you have whiplash, seek medical treatment as soon as possible. Your medical provider may wish to obtain a CT scan, MRI scan or some other type of neurological testing in order to create an accurate diagnosis to confirm whiplash and to rule out any fractures or other tissue damage or injury. If the whiplash was caused by an automobile crash it is imperative to speak to the team of auto accident attorneys at Michigan Injury Lawyers. Do not hesitate to call our office today at 313-GET-HELP for a free consultation.
References:
[1] http://www.mountsinai.org/patient-care/health-library/diseases-and-conditions/whiplash
[2] http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/whiplash/basics/causes/con-20033090
[3] http://www.brainline.org/content/2012/06/what-should-you-do-if-you-think-you-have-had-a-concussion.html