You got rear-ended. This awful experience caused your neck to slam forward in what feels like a horrible injury. Did you experience whiplash? Did you get a concussion? What do you do now? Depending on your neck injury symptoms you may have sustained injuries that need medical attention immediately. Here are Innovative Pain Solutions, we are pain management doctors here to ensure you know everything you need to regarding whiplash and concussions. Whiplash and concussion are both things that happen that cause injury, not precisely injuries themselves. Let’s take a closer look.
What is Whiplash and a Concussion?
Whiplash is the term used to describe a rapid acceleration of the head followed by rapid deceleration. In other words, your head snaps forward and then backward at a speed that does not match that of your body. This often happens when you are rear-ended and wearing a seat belt. The force of your neck’s movement can cause ligament, tendon and muscle damage in the neck and shoulders. The movement can even cause injuries to bony tissue.
A concussion is similar to whiplash. It occurs typically during the same type of accident as above. Concussion describes the excessive movement of the brain within the skull. The two terms, whiplash and concussion, are so closely related because the events often coincide with one another.
Let see how this looks in an example. You are in your car. You are on I-4 heading towards downtown. Traffic is stop and go, per usual. There was a small stretch of the road where the speed of traffic is at 60 miles per hour. Suddenly, it slows dramatically at only 10 miles per hour. You have to slam your brakes. Unfortunately, the car behind you fails to do so. They read end you. The momentum of the other vehicle striking yours sends your head forward and then backward at alarming speed and force. This causes your brain to hit the front and back of your skull. This accident just gave you both whiplash and a concussion. Ask pain management doctors today if you are experiencing any symptoms after an accident.
Neck Injury Symptoms
You may experience some or all of the following symptoms when facing a concussion:
- memory problems
- confusion
- drowsiness or feeling sluggish
- dizziness
- double vision or blurred vision
- headache
- nausea or vomiting
- sensitivity to light or noise
- balance problems
- slowed reaction to stimuli
During the recovery period after a concussion, you may experience the following symptoms:
- irritability
- sensitivity to light or noise
- difficulty concentrating
- mild headaches
You may experience some or all of the following symptoms when dealing with whiplash:
- Neck pain and stiffness
- Headaches
- Pain in the shoulder or between the shoulder blades
- Low back pain
- Pain or numbness in the arm and/or hand
- Dizziness
- Difficulty concentrating or remembering
- Irritability, sleep disturbances, fatigue
Call Us Today
We genuinely want to make sure you know what to do when dealing with neck injury symptoms. Whether that is a result from a concussion or whiplash. Innovative Pain Solutions are pain management doctors who know what they are doing. We strive to provide service with excellence. Contact us today for more information.
