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An accident victim that develops a whiplash-associated disorder has sustained more than just some damage to the neck tissues. His or her body has demonstrated a marked reaction to a period of sharp and powerful jerking motions. Those motions caused the victim’s head and neck to move back and forth.
Such movements can affect the bones and joints connected to the neck. That includes the skull bone, which sits on top of the neck. Consequently, a whiplashing motion can force the brain to hit the inside lining of the skull.
What might trigger development of a whiplash-associated disorder?
Anytime that the body has been shaken, the effects of that disorder could threaten to disrupt the body’s system. The shaking could result from a reactive force, such as the one produced during a collision. It could also result from a physical act, one performed by another person.
What symptoms signal the existence of such a condition?
During the early stages some of the symptoms highlight the link to a previous whiplashing of the body. Those are symptoms such as neck stiffness, loss of some motion in that stiff body part (the neck), numbness in the arms and pain in the shoulders. Yet not every symptom can be linked directly to a previous shaking of the body.
For instance, a shaken victim might complain about headaches, fatigue, issues with sleep, trouble concentrating or memory issues. At the same time, such a victim might demonstrate periods of irritability or depression. If those particular symptoms get overlooked, more mysterious ones could appear. Those would be medical problems such as dizziness, blurred vision or ringing in the ears.
Do such problems respond to some type of treatment?
Pain medications can be used to deal with the discomforts caused by a simple symptom like a headache. Victims that do not respond to such medication, or those that develop a more serious symptom might be told to undergo massage therapy, heat and ice therapy or ultrasound.
If the brain had hit the skull, and no test had detected evidence of that fact, the shaken victim might develop a disorder such as hydrocephalus. In that case, the only treatment would be surgery. A neurosurgeon would have to place a shunt in the victim’s body.
Tips for proving the existence of a whiplash-associated disorder:
Keep a journal and let your Injury Lawyer in Hamilton see it. Record the times when the head or neck become the source of a painful sensation. Make note of what medication was taken, and how effective it proved at eradicating that pain. Be sure to tell your doctor about the accident. That way a problem such as dizziness might get associated with one or more earlier and less severe problems.