Whiplash and back injuries are very common during accidents. Depending on the severity, these injuries may even involve long term treatment.
According to statistics, 60 percent of whiplash patients need long term medical follow-up, with 45 percent still feeling the symptoms up to 12 weeks and the other 25 percent up to 6 months.
Whiplash refers to the pain in the neck and back pain from an accident. The term whiplash is derived from the whip-like motion when the neck is snapped back and forward during an accident. The common symptoms of whiplash are headache, neck and shoulder pain/stiffness, dizziness, jaw pain, ringing in the ears and back pains.
Common back injuries usually involve the spine. Sprains and fractures on the spine can cause a victim fleeting and/or chronic pains. Back pains may also be a symptom of a whiplash injury.
Causes of Whiplash and Back Injuries
Whiplash and back injuries usually result from vehicular accidents but sometimes can also be caused by workplace and slip/fall accidents.
The most common causes are:
Road Accidents. Often in cases where a car is being rear ended, this is the most common cause of whiplash. This causes the body to move forward as the neck and head snap backward. This causes hyperextension on the neck that causes pain and discomfort to the victim.
This can also cause back injuries because of the sudden backward and forward movement that could lead to an injury on the spine or the vertebrae.
Work Related Accidents. This is the most common cause of back injuries. The most susceptible are people working in the construction industry. The rate of back injuries in construction work is 25%, very much higher than the other industries.
When work involves heavy lifting, accidents can happen due to inadequate training in lifting heavy items. Also, carrying items that are beyond the legal weight limit can also cause a workplace accident.
Construction also exposes workers to being hit by potentially dangerous objects like debris, or heavy machineries. A hit behind the head can jolt the neck back and hyper extends the soft tissues of the spine. Sprain or tears in the muscle may occur and may even damage some nerves.
Slip and fall accidents. Whiplash and back injuries can also be caused by slipping or tripping. These can happen in a variety of conditions and environment. Slipping on a wet surface or tripping on a foreign object can produce that whip like motion during fall.
Add to that the impact of the back and possibly the head hitting the floor surface and a person can injure their neck and back. That may lead to spine, muscle, bone and disc injuries.
When involved in an accident and you feel pain in the neck or/and in the back, go immediately to your doctor to have yourself checked out. Whiplash and back injuries is dangerous as it may involve some damage to the spine.
Whiplash and back injuries may also involve some long term treatment and therapy. You may file a personal injury claim especially when the accident was caused by another persons’ negligence.
Consult a personal injury lawyer to help establish and represent you for the case.
To help you pursue claims for personal injury cases such as
whiplash and back injuries, consult with our expert
Los Angeles personal injury attorneys. Log on to our website and avail of our free case consultation.
