What Happens if Whiplash Goes Untreated?

What Is Whiplash?

Whiplash is a soft tissue neck injury resulting from forceful, rapid back-and-forth neck movement, imitating the cracking of a whip.

The whip-like motion is where the injury gets its name.

Whiplash occurs most-often during rear-end auto accidents, but the injury can also result from playing sports, physical abuse, or other neck or head trauma.

Common symptoms include:

• neck stiffness

• soreness

• pain

• recurring headaches

If you begin to feel soreness in your neck and shoulders, or pain in your back, it may be a sign of Whiplash.

Fortunately, most people get better within a few weeks if they follow a chiropractor-approved treatment plan.

But if whiplash is left untreated, some people have chronic neck pain and other long-lasting complications that can seriously affect their health, work, and day-to-day lives.

Whiplash is a common result of auto accidents and chiropractors are trained to treat it.

In car accidents, the force of the vehicle that hit you may have also misaligned your spine causing extreme pain or soreness in your neck and back.

It may also surprise you to learn that physical injuries such as blunt trauma to the head from sports (such as football, boxing, and other physically intensive or combative sports) can cause whiplash as well.

Whiplash can even result from jerking neck movement and intensive neck strain. If your work involves awkward neck movement or abrupt head or neck alignment changes, you are more prone to getting injured from whiplash.

Can Whiplash Symptoms Get Worse Over Time?

Neck pain and stiffness from a whiplash injury is often worse the day after the injury and may continue to get worse for several days afterward if it's left untreated.

Some people with whiplash do experience things like headaches for years following their accident.

Doctors may be able to trace this pain to damaged neck joints, disks, and ligaments. But chronic pain following a whiplash injury typically has no medical explanation.

However, very few people have any long-term complications from whiplash.

Usually, recovery time is anywhere from a few days to several weeks, with most people recovering fully within three months.

Whiplash is usually short-lived and self-limiting if you receive care quickly after an accident, but in a small percentage of people, symptoms persist beyond six months when the condition becomes chronic.

Untreated Whiplash

Whiplash injuries are known for not presenting symptoms until hours or days after an accident occurs.

Because whiplash is a soft tissue injury and not a bone fracture, it does not always show up clearly on x-rays , MRI scans, or CT scans.

Just because the onset of symptoms is not immediate, and they are not always detectable with image testing, does not mean they should be dismissed.

On the contrary, the effects of untreated whiplash are capable of producing very painful symptoms that make normal motion completely impossible.

Untreated whiplash can have serious long-term effects, even contributing to Degenerative Disc Disease–a condition that occurs when discs between the vertebrae of the spinal column deteriorate or break down, leading to pain, weakness, and numbness.

Many victims of suffering from the effects of untreated whiplash will require physical therapy, foam collars, medications, trigger point injectors, and ongoing chiropractic care.

Often times the adrenaline rush that occurs during an accident will mask pain, which means there are many victims who do not feel injured after the accident at all.

Of course, after several hours or even a few days have gone by, the victim may begin to notice signs of whiplash.

• Neck Pain that radiates through the back and upper shoulder area.

• Pain that is accompanied by swelling, stiffness, and reduced range of motion.

• Headaches or pain at the base of the skull.

• Ringing, hissing, static or humming noises are heard in the ears.

• Dizziness, feeling faint, or feeling as if the world is spinning.

Unless the accident victim is seen by a medical professional, such as a chiropractor, they are very likely to experience chronic pain and long-term effects.

Side Effects of Whiplash

Soft tissue injuries can take quite some time to heal, and the longer treatment is put off, the long-term suffering and debilitating side effects of can occur, including:

Stiffness and Loss of Motion: Moving the neck may become impossible without experiencing excruciating pain when a whiplash injury is left untreated. The lack of motion can result in stiffness and improper muscle healing which will limit the range of motion in the neck until it's treated properly.

Sleeping Difficulties: Chronic neck pain can make sleeping an unbearable challenge, and will often result in even more stiffness after a restless nights sleep.

Depression and Anxiety: Whiplash pain can keep you from going about your daily life. Many people will be in pain just trying to accomplish everyday tasks. This can lead to long-term depression and anxiety as your injury holds you back from the things you're accustomed to doing on your own. This can spiral out of control causing relationship issues both personally and professionally.

Dizziness and Vertigo: The impingement of the neck synapses that communicate to the brain can cause severe dizzy spells that often lead to vertigo and cause the victims to fall when they normally would not, along with intense feelings of nausea.

Tinnitus: Untreated whiplash can cause persistent buzzing and ringing in the ears known as tinnitus. This condition can cause victims to have quite a difficult time focusing and sleeping which can lead to irritability.

Headaches and Migraines: Neck pain has a tendency to cause intense headaches and migraines. These can last for days at a time and the pain can become serious enough to affect your daily life.

Whiplash Treatment

When you are involved in a Car Accident, regardless of how you feel immediately following the crash, seeking the help of an experienced Chiropractor is crucial for your recovery.

The Chiropractors at Arrowhead Clinic have been treating Whiplash victims for over 30 years.

We specialize in car accident injury treatment, so we have the confidence that we can help with your recovery.

After reading the dangers of an untreated whiplash injury, there is really no reason to put off treatment after an accident.

Best case scenario the doctor will not find any injuries and you'll be released with a clear conscious that you won't suffer from the long-term effects of any underlying injuries.

You have nothing to lose by seeking the expert opinion of a chiropractor who has years of training and knows exactly how to determine if someone is suffering from a whiplash injury.

When you come to Arrowhead Clinic you will first be given a free consultation. This is your time to speak with the doctor and let them know the details surrounding your accident.

You will then be given an in-depth physical examination to determine the extent of your injuries (if any).

Once your examination is complete, you will be given a diagnosis with a corresponding treatment plan that will be specifically tailored to your recovery needs.

Not everyone with a whiplash injury will receive the exact same treatment. Each patient and their accident is unique, which means their treatment plan will be as well.

If you were involved in a Car Accident, there is a good chance you are suffering from a Whiplash injury. Do not put off treatment until something bad happens.

Let our experienced Chiropractors diagnose and treat your whiplash injury before it turns into chronic pain.