When your neck is suddenly extended or distorted, soft tissue damage occurs known as whiplash. This type of damage does not involve broken bone or fracture, so a lot of people think whiplash is just a minor injury that doesn’t require treatment. However, the truth is that whiplash can have severe, life-changing consequences when left untreated. It can make it hard to perform everyday tasks like working and exercising.
If you sustained a whiplash injury due to the accident caused by the negligence of another party, contact a wisconsin whiplash injury attorney as soon as possible. Your attorney can help you get compensation for all your losses.
Whiplash Causes
Nearly all kinds of motor vehicle crashes can damage your neck’s soft tissues. A whiplash injury can usually result from car accidents, bicycle accidents, truck accidents, slip and fall accidents, and pedestrian accidents.
Whiplash Symptoms
You may suffer from whiplash within 24 hours after an accident. You may not realize you have this injury until days or even weeks following the accident when you begin to experience neck stiffness, pain, difficulty swallowing, muscle spasms, problems concentrating, limited range of motion in your neck, dizziness, and fatigue.
Often, whiplash is classified by grades, depending on the seriousness of the injury. A whiplash injury that does not present physical signs may be grade 0. Whiplash may be classified as grade 1 if you experience pain in your neck without physical signs. If you experience neck pain and signs of musculoskeletal injury, your whiplash maybe a grade 3. A whiplash with a grade 4 classification is when you notice signs of neurological impairment along with neck pain. The most serious whiplash classification is grade 4, which indicates spinal cord injury, dislocation, and fracture.
Whiplash Treatment
After a whiplash diagnosis, you may be required to take pain medications, apply ice or heat to your neck, and take a rest. Also, your doctor may recommend wearing a neck brace or collar to limit neck movement. Physical therapy and stretching may be ordered to increase your strength and range of motion in the neck. Surgery may need to be done in very serious cases of whiplash.
Reason to Consult a Lawyer
If you experience neck pain following a car crash or another accident due to the fault of another person, you should see an attorney immediately. A whiplash injury attorney can hold the at-fault party accountable for their negligent actions, you can recover compensation for your losses like medical expenses, pain and suffering, and wage loss. They will fight insurers to collect maximum compensation for you.
