Pain
from auto accidents can linger for years, if its cause is not
corrected.
Almost all Americans will be involved in at least one motor vehicle
accident at some time in their life. Often we are able to walk
away free of injury…or so we may think. Learn about the little
noticed symptoms that can result in permanent pain and discomfort
if their cause is not corrected.
Injuries
that result from a motor vehicle accident are often not diagnosed
correctly. Frequently, the pain or other symptoms of the injury
are not apparent at the time of the auto accident. In fact, some
auto injuries are hidden so well, they may be missed by emergency
room technicians and could take weeks, months, and even years
before actual symptoms show.
The
amount of damage to the vehicles in an auto accident does not
depict the amount of injury sustained by the victim. Studies indicate
that injuries can occur at impact speeds of 5 mph where there
is little or even no damage to the car. Today’s cars absorb
much of the impact in the bumper, but transmit this energy from
impact to the person’s head and neck in much the same fashion
as when one pool ball hits another.
A
whiplash injury happens when a person’s head is suddenly
snapped forward, then backward. The symptoms of whiplash are headaches,
stiffness, and neck pain. Blurred vision and tingling sensations
in the arms and shoulders are caused by irritation to the nerves,
caused by even a slight misalignment of the vertebrae in the neck.
Almost every person involved in an automobile accident suffers
some degree of whiplash injury.
The
most common symptoms of a whiplash injury are pain or stiffness
in the neck and shoulder, recurring headaches, numbness in the
arms and fingers, irritability, back pain, and dizziness. Few
people realize that an untreated neck or back injury from a car
accident is likely to develop into degeneration of the joints
in later years.
