Whiplash Injury

Whiplash injury was once thought of as made up by personal injury lawyers. People experiencing a whiplash injury were dismissed as fake. However, scientific and medical evidence confirms this type of injury does exist.

Do you have a whiplash injury? Talk to a local injury attorney to discuss your potential claim. Free consultations.

Medical Term For Whiplash

Whiplash is not an official medical term but can refer to any kind of soft tissue injury in the neck. The name whiplash is a general term describing the motion of the head that leads to painful symptoms. This kind of injury is common in car accidents or any abrupt back-and-forth movement of the neck. Your doctor might call the injury a neck sprain or neck strain.

Neck Sprain

Is a neck sprain or neck strain the same as whiplash? Not always. While whiplash refers to the cause of the injury, neck sprain or strain is the medical diagnosis.

How Does Whiplash Happen?

Whiplash is often the result of car accidents and therefore is thought to be a more modern diagnosis. But, this type of injury actually started to come about in the 1800s as railroad travel started to take off. “Railway spine” was a hotly-debated topic of medical professionals. Whiplash was a new injury amongst train wreck victims.

Is Whiplash Real or Fake?

Often, there is no physical evidence of an injury. This was also true with whiplash in the 1800s. At the time, doctors did not believe the victims had a genuine impairment because there was no visible injury. Sometimes, symptoms didn’t present until well after the injury. Of course, the railroads rejected the claims as fake.

Whiplash Symptoms

However, we know that these injuries are real. A whiplash injury can happen in many situations. Car accidents, slip and falls, sports injuries, and more. Doctors today understand that whiplash is a real diagnosis, and the victims of this injury can suffer many symptoms. Whiplash symptoms include:

• severe pain
• headaches
• dizziness
• blurred vision
• constant weariness
• memory loss
• ringing in the ears
• insomnia

Whiplash Injury Diagnosis

Whiplash is usually diagnosed with a physical exam. In certain cases, your doctor may want to order an X-ray or MRI to rule out any other injury.

Whiplash Treatment

In most cases, whiplash is treated with over-the-counter pain medications such as aspirin. Severe cases may require prescription painkillers in addition to physical therapy. Depending on how you were injured, there could be money immediately available to pay for treatment. Learn more about how personal injury protection works. Personal injury protection is included with all car insurance policies in Pennsylvania.

Whiplash Injury Lawyer

If you were in an accident that has resulted in you suffering from whiplash, talk to an injury lawyer. A personal injury lawyer can help you file a claim to receive the compensation you deserve.

Lancaster Injury Lawyer

The team at Haggerty & Silverman is here to help you. If you have any questions or want to discuss your injury claim, call us for a free consultation. Even if you’re not sure you have a claim, you can get some peace of mind without spending any money.