Myths and Facts About Whiplash Injury

Whiplash injury is very common, and it can happen to anyone.  In your childhood, you might have overheard the elderly ladies at the table next to you at brunch talking about it as they went through the litany of their health complaints and those of their loved ones.  You might also have seen it in big letters on a billboard or TV advertisement for a personal injury law firm or chiropractic clinic. Whiplash injury can be mild, moderate, or severe, and there is much more to it than you might think.  If you have suffered whiplash injury in a car accident, contact a car accident injury attorney.

MYTH: Whiplash Injury Can Only Happen in Rear-End Car Accidents

FACT: Any trauma in which the head and neck are made to move quickly forward and then back can cause whiplash injury.  It is common in rear-end car accidents, but it can also happen in other kinds of car accidents, too.  You can also get whiplash injury from falling or from sports like boxing, football, gymnastics, skiing, or snowboarding.

MYTH: The Car Has to Be Going Fast for You to Get Whiplash

FACT: Especially in rear-end car collisions, even a minor accident can cause whiplash injury; people have been diagnosed with whiplash injury in accidents where a car was traveling at as few as fine miles per hour.  Sitting in the back seat and not wearing a seatbelt increases your risk of whiplash.

MYTH: Whiplash Hurts Immediately

FACT: Like other types of muscle strain injuries, whiplash injury usually does not cause immediate pain.  It can take days or even weeks for the pain, soreness, and stiffness to develop. Even if you do not feel pain immediately after the accident, you should still go to a doctor’s office, urgent care clinic, or hospital emergency room to be examined after the accident.  The records from your visit will be strong evidence in your favor if you file a personal injury lawsuit.

MYTH: Only Old People Get Whiplash

FACT: Whiplash injury is more common in older adults, and the severity of symptoms increases with age, but anyone can get whiplash, even athletes who get injured playing sports.  Muscle strength can reduce the severity and duration of symptoms. Thus, being physically active, no matter your age, offers protection against whiplash.

MYTH: Whiplash Injury Only Affects the Neck

FACT: The muscles of the neck and upper back are involved in a whiplash injury, so you might experience pain anywhere in that area.  Do not assume that you do not have whiplash injury just because your neck does not hurt; you might feel the pain in your back instead.

Contact Walton Telken Bragee Attorneys at Law About Car Accident Cases

Sometimes the effects of whiplash injury go away on their own, and sometimes they do not.  Contact Walton Telken Bragee Injury Attorneys in the St. Louis, Missouri area for a legal consultation if you have suffered whiplash injury in a car accident and are thinking of filing a personal injury lawsuit.