Soft Tissue Injuries and Whiplash
Whether you are in a serious car accident or a small fender-bender, you may experience damage to important connective tissues. The muscles and tendons in your neck and back are particularly vulnerable to injury, no matter how minor your car accident. This is because the connective tissues in your neck and back are often stretched, sprained, or otherwise forcefully pulled back and forth during a violent collision or sudden impact. While these injuries may be hidden from view, they are just as serious as fractures, bruises, cuts, and other traumatic injuries that are visible to the naked eye. In fact, in many cases they keep injured persons in recovery for a longer period of time and pose longer-lasting limitations on mobility, range of motion, etc.
How Does Whiplash Happen?
Whiplash is perhaps the most common soft tissue injury experienced by people who have been involved in automobile accidents. The term itself refers to a variety of injuries to the neck that occur when the head is thrown backward then forward, which results in hyperextension, damaging the muscles, ligaments, and tends in the neck and back.
However, speed, heavy machinery, and sudden impact are not necessary ingredients for such injuries. There are a variety of other ways you can sustain a whiplash-like injury via overextension, extreme flexion, and forceful stretching of various muscles and ligaments. Sports injuries, violent attacks, repetitive strain injuries, slips, trips, and falls, also create the potential for serious neck and back injuries.
How Do I Know if I Have Whiplash?
If you were in an accident of any kind and have since experienced any of the following symptoms, you may be suffering from whiplash or another whiplash-like injury:
- Pain in the neck, back, and/or shoulder
- Headaches
- Difficulty sleeping
- Blurry or diminished vision
- Decreased cognitive ability to perform normal tasks
- Mental, psychological, and emotional disturbances
- Reduced range of motion in neck, back, or shoulders
What Should I Do if I Think I Have a Whiplash Injury?
The first thing you should do if you suspect whiplash-like injury is receive medical attention. Whiplash can occur in conjunction with other damages that are hard to spot, such as negative effects on your mental and emotional health. Don’t wait until you are experiencing a cluster of complex, developed symptoms to get the help you need—consult with a medical professional right away about the physical and neurological effects of your injury.
Talking to a doctor or specialist about your injuries and symptoms can help you get ahead of the curve, especially when it comes to spotting any mental, emotional, or psychological disturbances that may arise long after your physical injuries have healed. This is crucial to preserving your long-term health and ensuring a full recovery following your accident.
After Receiving Medical Attention, Call a Personal Injury Lawyer for Help
Just because an injury may not be visible to the naked eye doesn’t mean it can’t be demonstrably harmful and deserving of consideration in a personal injury case. If your injury occurred because another party failed to act responsibly, you may be able to sue them for damages associated with your whiplash and the resulting complications. Even if you have just been in an accident and are not yet certain of the extent of your injuries, it’s not too early to get an experienced personal injury attorney on your side. If you are an injured person in the Sedalia area, we are prepared to serve you throughout the process of your recovery and personal injury suit, doing everything in our power to ensure you are treated fairly in court. At Kempton & Russell, we have served many clients over the years and know how important it is that you are awarded compensation for damages.
Call (660) 722-4115 to speak to a member of our team or send us an email to schedule your free consultation.