Best & Anderson, P.A.

Whiplash is a non-medical term used to describe neck pain following an injury to the soft tissues of your neck (ligaments, muscles and tendons, specifically). Whiplash is caused by a motion or force applied to your neck that results in movement beyond the neck's normal range of motion.

The most common cause of whiplash is a car accident. The speed of cars involved in the accident or the amount of physical damage to the car may not be related to the intensity of neck injury. Speeds as low as 15 miles per hour can produce enough energy to cause whiplash in a passenger in your car even if they are wearing their seatbelt.

Whiplash can also be caused by contact sports and blows to the head from a falling object or even from someone punching you. Child abuse, such as repeated shaking of the child, can also result in this injury (and cause even more serious brain and spinal cord injuries).

If you think you have suffered a whiplash injury, you should seek medical attention immediately as there may be more serious injury involved.

The symptoms of whiplash are:

• Neck swelling
• Neck pain
• Tenderness along the back of your neck
• Muscle spasms in the neck or back
• Difficult moving the neck
• Pain
• Headache

Some recommended treatments for whiplash include

• Applying ice to your neck for 35 minutes at a time up to four times a day (use a towel; do not apply ice directly to your neck)
• Take pain relief such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen
• Neck massage
• Neck rest
• Heat therapy
• Neck brace

Most people recover completely from a whiplash injury in the first 12 weeks following the injury. Other symptoms can continue and persist for months, even years. No reliable way exists to predict your prognosis for recovery from a whiplash injury.

If you or a loved one has been in an automobile accident and suffered a whiplash injury in Orlando or anywhere in Florida, please call the experienced automobile accident attorneys Best & Anderson, Attorneys at Law today to schedule your initial consultation.