Whiplash is a soft tissue injury when the neck is jerked in sudden back-and-forth motion that stretches the muscles, tendons, and ligaments beyond their normal range of motion. Car accidents are among the leading causes of whiplash due to sudden stops and abrupt deceleration.
It is important to take this type of injury seriously since it may result in chronic pain, permanent neck stiffness, and recurring headaches. In order to help accident victims get immediate medical care, the following are a list of common, early warning signs of whiplash:
- Neck pain, stiff shoulders, and headaches. Injured muscles tend to stiff up and constrict to limit movement while it heals, causing pain and restricts mobility. You may experience a mild ache to severe pain depending on the full extent of the injury. Additionally, victims may suffer persistent headaches, which begin at the base of the skull and radiate upward toward the ears.
- Dizziness and vertigo. Known as post-traumatic vertigo, it gives victims a false sensation of losing balance or spinning. It can also be related to cervical vertigo, which is also derived from neck injuries.
- Ringing ears and blurry vision. Whiplash can also result in disturbances in normal eye motion, damage to the optical never, difficulty switching focus between near and distant objects, and extreme sensitivity to light.
It is important to understand that you may feel fine after an accident due to the surge of adrenaline and endorphins coursing through your body. But as these substances return to their normal levels, you will start to experience the delayed effects of the injury, which is why you should always seek immediate medical attention in the event of a collision.
If you sustained an injury in a car accident caused by a negligent driver in Pennsylvania, contact our Philadelphia personal injury attorneys at Golomb Legal, P.C. today.