Whiplash might seem like minor injury at the time that you sustain it but some people end up suffering the consequences of whiplash for weeks or even months later. In fact, your life may never go back to normal which can be disheartening to hear for someone who expects that their whiplash injuries are temporary. Whiplash refers to a neck injury that frequently happens in rear end accidents when the head is suddenly moved.
While most people will experience improvement of their whiplash injury within two to three months, the headaches, neck stiffness, neck pain and pain and muscle spasms in the shoulders and arms can last longer. In the moments immediately after the accident, you might feel as though you’re fine but could have whiplash under the surface.
It can take a few hours to come down from the accident for the symptoms to begin once you injure your neck. In order to treat whiplash, you might try to continue doing every day activities and while this, in a mild way, can help to speed up your recovery, you want to be sure you don’t push yourself too hard.
Don’t rest your neck for long periods of time without a doctor’s specific advice to do so and don’t use a neck collar or brace to support your neck because this does not help. Scheduling a consultation with your physician can help you come together with a treatment plan that will help you establish your goals.
This could even include physical therapy and other light exercises that can help your whiplash improve. For many people the impacts of the car accident can linger for many weeks or months beyond this. If you have a whiplash and other injuries from a preventable San Francisco car accident, consult with a personal injury lawyer.