More than 3 million Americans suffer from whiplash every year – and that’s just from vehicle accidents. Whiplash can also be caused by other types of collisions, such as playing sports or falling on the ice.
Whiplash is an injury to the neck caused by the sudden movement of the head backward, forward or sideways. It can result in stretched or torn neck muscles or ligaments, bulging or ruptured discs, misaligned vertebrae, and the loss of the neck’s normal forward curve.
Apart from neck pain, whiplash may have the following symptoms:
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Headaches |
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Upper back pain |
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Pain between the shoulder blades |
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Shoulder pain |
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Pain, numbness or tingling in the arms or hands |
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Low back pain |
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Loss of mobility / stiffness |
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Dizziness |
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Depression |
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Anxiety |
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Blurred vision |
Daily activity problems include difficulty with reading, computer work, moving or turning the head, lifting and traveling.
Most often, pain occurs immediately or is felt within a few days, but sometimes whiplash symptoms may not appear for weeks or even months after an accident. And, often, these injuries can result in chronic neck pain. For example, one study showed that nearly 40 percent of people with whiplash still experienced pain seven years later. Behind chronic back pain, neck pain is the next disability epidemic.
The good news is there are several treatment options available. These include:
BHPW offers some of the only physicians in Alaska with advanced certifications in the diagnosis and management of whiplash disorders. You can be certain that your whiplash injury will be treated with the latest and most comprehensive treatment available.
