How do you diagnose whiplash?
How is whiplash diagnosed? Healthcare providers can usually diagnose whiplash by examining your symptoms and asking you questions about your injury. CT scans or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can show details of damaged soft tissues (such as nerves or disks), though they may not always be required.
When do whiplash symptoms appear?
Symptoms of whiplash may be delayed for 24 hours or more after the initial trauma. However, people who experience whiplash may develop one or more of the following symptoms, usually within the first few days after the injury: Neck pain and stiffness. Headaches.
What are the symptoms of a neck injury?
Common neck injury symptoms
- Difficulty turning the neck.
- Headaches.
- Muscle spasms in neck and shoulders.
- Neck pain.
- Stiffness in the neck.
- Weakness in the legs, arms, hands or fingers.
Where do you feel whiplash pain?
Whiplash happens when structures in your neck, including discs, ligaments, nerves or muscles, are damaged. Sometimes a small vessel tears after an accident and releases inflammatory substances in the neck, causing swelling and pain.
What are the symptoms of whiplash injury?
Common symptoms of whiplash include:
- neck pain.
- neck stiffness and difficulty moving your head.
- headaches.
- pain and muscle spasms in the shoulders and arms.
What is the medical term for whiplash?
Whiplash-associated disorder (WAD) is the term given for the collection of symptoms affecting the neck that are triggered by an accident with an acceleration–deceleration mechanism such as a motor vehicle accident.
How long can whiplash affect you?
Some cases of whiplash resolve within a few weeks or months, especially if the victim receives adequate medical treatment soon after the injury. But in other cases, the pain and restriction of a whiplash injury can go on for years — or even a lifetime.
What part of the spine does whiplash effect?
Whiplash is a collective term used to describe the injuries to the cervical spine (neck). This condition often results from an automobile collision, which suddenly forces the head and neck to whip back and forth (hyperflexion/hyperextension). Symptoms may appear as quickly as two hours following injury.
What is whiplash injury of neck?
Whiplash is an injury to your neck. It is caused by your neck bending forcibly forward and then backward, or vice versa. The injury, which is poorly understood, usually involves the muscles, discs, nerves, and tendons in your neck.
How do you describe whiplash pain?
tingling or pins and needles on one or both sides of your body. problems with walking or sitting upright. sudden “electric shock” feeling in your neck and back which may also go into your arms and legs. your arms or legs feel weak.
What are the symptoms of neck strain?
Symptoms of neck sprains or strains
- Pain in the back of the neck or upper shoulder that becomes more painful as you move your head.
- Difficulty moving or rotating the head or neck.
- Headaches that feel worse in the back of the head.
- Increased irritability or fatigue.
- Decreased range of motion or stiffness in the neck.
Why does whiplash occur?
Can whiplash cause other problems?
In addition to neck and head injuries, whiplash can affect the brainstem and spine as well. Additionally, the injury can lead to other, more serious conditions such as: Chronic Neck Pain and Soreness. Stiffness and Long-term Mobility Issues.
Can whiplash cause spinal stenosis?
Also, there have been limited studies on the long-term effects of whiplash, so there is no hard evidence that whiplash can cause osteoarthritis and spinal stenosis. Several studies have examined a psychological connection to patients who develop ongoing consistent chronic pain from the time of the whiplash injury.
What are the signs symptoms of a neck injury?
5 Key Symptoms of a Neck Injury
- General Stiffness. Stiffness is a symptom of many neck injuries.
- Decreased Range of Motion. Neck injuries can also result in less range of motion – which is often related to general stiffness symptoms above.
- Headaches and Dizziness.
- Sprains and Strains.
- Tingling and Numbness.
What are the long-term effects of whiplash?
The long-term effects of whiplash can include: Chronic pain and stiffness in the neck and shoulders. Ongoing bouts of dizziness. Ringing in the ears that is constant or comes and goes.