Can you get whiplash from being hit on the side? (2023)

How fast do you have to be hit to get whiplash?

You don't have to be driving fast to suffer whiplash. Some whiplash injuries happen when a car travels at speeds as low as 5 mph. Although whiplash is associated with driving, it can also be caused by sudden stops in roller coasters or other amusement park rides, by sports injuries, or by being punched or shaken.

Common injuries from side-impact crashes include: Head injuries (concussion) or traumatic brain injury. Cuts from shattered glass. Neck or back injuries: herniated discs, whiplash, nerve damage, spinal cord damage, paralysis.

Signs and symptoms of whiplash usually develop within days of the injury, and may include: Neck pain and stiffness. Worsening of pain with neck movement. Loss of range of motion in the neck.

Whiplash is an injury to your neck. It is caused by your neck bending forcibly forward and then backward, or vice versa. The injury, which is poorly understood, usually involves the muscles, discs, nerves, and tendons in your neck.

But minor car accidents are frequently associated with whiplash and other head and neck injuries, many of which are compensable under state personal injury law and which an insurance company may be obligated to cover.

Whiplash is no different. Like most other injuries, serious side effects can occur when left untreated: Stiffness and loss of motion. As well as the chronic neck pain and stiffness, untreated whiplash can even lead to degenerative disc disease and vertebrae misalignment.

Symptoms usually appear within 24 hours after the incident that caused the whiplash. Sometimes, symptoms may develop after a few days. They can last for several weeks.

The pain of whiplash is often hard to ignore. The symptoms may include: Pain, decreased range of motion, and tightness in the neck. The muscles may feel hard or knotted.

tingling or pins and needles on one or both sides of your body. problems with walking or sitting upright. sudden "electric shock" feeling in your neck and back which may also go into your arms and legs. your arms or legs feel weak.

While whiplash does not have a definitive appearance in MRIs, they are useful for diagnosis. First, MRIs can rule out things like fractures, slipped discs, or other severe injuries that may cause pain, allowing doctors to determine whiplash as the primary injury to treat.

What muscles are most affected by whiplash?

Shoulder muscles are often affected by whiplash too. You may feel pain between shoulder blades or along the shoulder muscles, depending on the accident. Finally, back muscles can be affected as well. Even muscles in the low back could tense up as a result of the auto accident.

Some cases of whiplash resolve within a few weeks or months, especially if the victim receives adequate medical treatment soon after the injury. But in other cases, the pain and restriction of a whiplash injury can go on for years — or even a lifetime.

A sideswipe accident is a collision between two vehicles that are traveling in the same direction where the right side of one vehicle impacts the left side of the other. These collisions typically occur because one of the two vehicles involved moved out of the lane it was traveling in when it was unsafe to do so.

In short, it's possible to suffer whiplash during a low-speed collision. Both head and neck are thrown quickly out of alignment, stretching beyond a normal range of movement. It's not the speed that causes the injury, but the way in which you suddenly stop.

To make a whiplash claim, you'll need to provide the insurance company with evidence of both the accident and the injuries you sustained. You can do this by: Exchanging insurance details with the other driver. Taking photographs at the scene of the accident where possible.

You might be wondering, "Does whiplash go away?" Overall and with treatment, mild cases of whiplash will last about a month on average. Moderate cases of whiplash can last up to six months.

Physical therapy and range-of-motion exercises can help improve your neck move with discomfort and promote healing. Your doctor may also prescribe muscle relaxants for more severe cases. You can protect your neck and help prevent whiplash during a car accident by: Putting your seat upright.

A whiplash injury isn't apparent on imaging tests. But your doctor will likely order one or more imaging tests to rule out other conditions that could be making your neck pain worse. Imaging tests include: X-rays.

What is the fastest way to recover from whiplash?

Massage Techniques May Help for Whiplash Injury

Cranial Sacral Therapy is a gentle technique known to provide relief for headaches and neck injuries. Trigger Point Massage can often decrease pain after just one session. More focused Deep Muscle Therapy is effective for persistent neck and back pain.

Soft tissue therapies: Since whiplash involves soft tissue injury, chiropractors can also include soft tissue therapies in the treatment plan. The treatment aims to restore proper muscle function by applying pressure or stretching the muscles that have excessive tension.

Why are whiplash symptoms often delayed? Just as a sore muscle becomes painful hours or even days after a workout occurs, whiplash can become painful hours or even days after an injury. This happens because the body takes time to swell in the area around the injury and to register the swelling that has occurred.

Certain car accident injuries, such as cuts and compound fractures, are immediately apparent. Other injuries may not manifest for hours or even days after the incident. Some latent injuries can be life threatening if left untreated.

In short, it's possible to suffer whiplash during a low-speed collision. Both head and neck are thrown quickly out of alignment, stretching beyond a normal range of movement. It's not the speed that causes the injury, but the way in which you suddenly stop.

Pain and stiffness are the most common symptoms of whiplash. You may experience a constant, aching pain, and pain that worsens when you move your head side-to-side or up and down. Pain and stiffness may be accompanied by tense, knotted muscles, muscle spasms, and limited range of motion for moving your neck.

Whiplash is a neck injury caused by sudden movement of the head. It usually gets better within 2 to 3 months.

Many times, people who are in “fender benders” have some initial soreness, discomfort or headaches. However, these rear-end accidents can actually cause permanent injuries and chronic issues. Even at slower speeds, rear-end accidents can lead to a Whiplash injury.

How long does whiplash take to heal?

The majority of whiplash patients recover within 3 months. However, it is also possible for whiplash-related symptoms and disorders to become chronic. Risk factors that could indicate a longer recovery time from a whiplash injury include: Severe pain at time of injury.

Can a whiplash claim be refused? Yes, just like any claim, a whiplash claim can be refused. Often this is due to insufficient evidence, including medical evidence that you are suffering from a whiplash injury or, in the case of road traffic accidents, that you were not at fault.

To make a whiplash claim, you'll need to provide the insurance company with evidence of both the accident and the injuries you sustained. You can do this by: Exchanging insurance details with the other driver. Taking photographs at the scene of the accident where possible.

The difficulty with diagnosing whiplash is that it does not really show up on an X-ray, CT scan or an MRI scan. The diagnosis is usually made by asking the patient how they feel and then proceeding from there. People usually have pain in the back of their neck and they find that the pain is worse when they move.

While whiplash does not have a definitive appearance in MRIs, they are useful for diagnosis. First, MRIs can rule out things like fractures, slipped discs, or other severe injuries that may cause pain, allowing doctors to determine whiplash as the primary injury to treat.

Massage Techniques May Help for Whiplash Injury

Cranial Sacral Therapy is a gentle technique known to provide relief for headaches and neck injuries. Trigger Point Massage can often decrease pain after just one session. More focused Deep Muscle Therapy is effective for persistent neck and back pain.

What are the symptoms of whiplash headache? Patients with headache after a whiplash injury will typically experience pain in the back of the head where the head meets the neck. This pain may radiate to the temples, the top of the head, the front of the head or down the neck. The pain may be intermittent or constant.

Shoulder muscles are often affected by whiplash too. You may feel pain between shoulder blades or along the shoulder muscles, depending on the accident. Finally, back muscles can be affected as well. Even muscles in the low back could tense up as a result of the auto accident.

Certain car accident injuries, such as cuts and compound fractures, are immediately apparent. Other injuries may not manifest for hours or even days after the incident. Some latent injuries can be life threatening if left untreated.

Is whiplash a serious injury?

Whiplash is often a minor concern, causing pain, soreness or stiffness but no long-term effects. When it's more severe, whiplash can cause long-term pain and complications. In the most extreme cases, whiplash can cause severe spinal injuries that can be permanently disabling or deadly.

The long-term effects of whiplash can include: Chronic pain and stiffness in the neck and shoulders. Ongoing bouts of dizziness. Ringing in the ears that is constant or comes and goes.