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Dealing with Whiplash after an Indiana Accident (Part A)

Whiplash is an unfortunately common neck injury after a motor vehicle accident. In mild cases, it damages the neck's soft tissues and may cause discomfort for a few weeks. A severe whiplash injury may not lessen with initial treatment and can actually affect discs, ligaments, muscles and even nerve roots in your neck.

What causes whiplash?

Whiplash occurs when the neck is forced to extend backward and then forward, often very suddenly and with some degree of force. While any number of causes could result in this often damaging whipping movement, whiplash is most associated with a motor vehicle accident in which your vehicle is rear-ended.

What are some symptoms of whiplash?

After a motor vehicle accident, you may notice some discomfort or unusual symptoms in your neck in as little as a couple hours. But as every victim and injury are different, it may take a few days for others to experience whiplash symptoms.

In any case, some telltale signs of whiplash include:

• stiffness;
• headache;
• dizziness;
• shoulder and back pain;
• hoarseness of the voice;
• burning or prickling; and
• chewing and swallowing problems.

How is the severity of whiplash determined?

Even if you immediately notice whiplash symptoms after a motor vehicle accident, you may not be able to figure out your injury's severity with general observation alone. Touching or looking at your neck won't tell you if you may only need a cervical collar for a few weeks or if extensive surgery is necessary.

In order to determine the true severity of your whiplash, doctors may perform the following:

• physical exam;
• neurological exam;
• x-ray (to see if fracture has occurred);
• CT scan (to see if muscle, disc or joint damage has occurred); and/or
• MRI.

Diagnosing the severity of your whiplash injury can be an expensive undertaking. When a motor vehicle accident in Indiana leads to a whiplash injury, whether in a rear-end accident or some other mishap, it may help to know that you may not have to shoulder these costs alone. Contacting an Indianapolis personal injury attorney is the first step to finding out the compensation that may be available to you.

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