Sustaining Whiplash in an Accident: How Effective Treatments Can Be
Whiplash is an injury that happens when the head and neck are suddenly twisted during an impact. Unnatural rapid movement can cause serious soft tissue damage in the neck because the tissue is stretched beyond its normal range. Such kind of injury is quite common during accidents, so although it can cause issues and pain, the victim should get proper treatment to fully recover from their injuries. A suffer should see a wisconsin personal injury doctor when they notice symptoms of whiplash.
Early Detection of Whiplash is Key to Recovery
Early detection is crucial to the effectiveness of a person’s treatment. But, whiplash does not always present obvious symptoms. A lot of sufferers may not immediately know they have the injury until hours or days following the accident. Due to a lack of symptoms, victims may not seek care. That is why accident victims must seek immediate medical attention whether or not they feel pain.
When the symptoms of whiplash surface, the injury may have worsened already because of movement, inflammation, and a lack of treatment. If symptoms appear, they can include neck pain and stiffness, nausea, headaches, shoulder, back, and arm pain, limited range of motion, as well as dizziness.
Effects of Whiplash
After an accident victim is diagnosed with whiplash, they can start treatment right away. The length of their treatment plan may vary depending on the seriousness of their injury and the tissues affected. Often, whiplash is fully head within around six months, although some patients reported neck pain for years.
During the first week, a whiplash sufferer may experience excruciating pain which indicates a worse injury and possible lingering symptoms. When the victim has pre-existing conditions such as arthritis, a previous neck injury, or chronic headaches, their recovery can be longer and more lasting.
Whiplash that remains unhealed for more than six months becomes chronic. For this condition, the patient needs additional pain management and physical therapy. During the treatment, the head and neck must be kept mobile to minimize the time the patient suffers.
Treatment for Whiplash
If a person experiences pain, they may immediately use medication to relieve their pain. Although medication offers temporary relief, whiplash must be properly treated to be healed. Usually, chiropractic care is performed alongside physical therapy to make sure the body fully heals and is prepared to function normally again.
Whiplash is an injury that must be taken seriously because it can lead to long-term damage. Because of this injury, a person may be out of work for a while, require extensive medical care, or even suffer a disability.
