Anyone that has been involved in a car accident has likely experienced a whiplash injury. Whiplash is not actual a medical condition but a non-medical term used to describe a variety of injuries to the neck. The most common cause of a whiplash type injury is a car accident. A whiplash injury happens when the neck is thrown violently forward or backward – as in a car accident. Even in a slow speed car accident there is a very good chance that your neck will be thrown forward or backward at a rate of speed or with a force that is outside the range of normal. The neck has a number of tendons, ligaments and muscles that wrap around and through the top of the spine. Your spine is an amazing structure – but it is not invincible. The spine is responsible for supporting our entire body and allowing us the flex forward and backward. Given its size, it can withstand an enormous amount of pressure and withstand a considerable amount of wear and tear. Having said that, it can still be injured. While a whiplash injury can be limited to a soft tissue injury, it can also cause much more severe and long lasting effects.
In many whiplash injuries, the tendons, ligaments and muscles of the neck are affected. This can cause soreness and stiffness for days or weeks following the accident. With proper care and rest, these soft tissue whiplash injuries usually heal well without substantial long-term effects. In some cases, however, the soreness or stiffness that a victim feels is just an outward sign of a much more serious injury. In some cases the spine itself is damages in the accident. Your spine is made up of bones that are separated by discs. The discs help the spine bend and flex. When a victim is involved in an accident, the spine can suffer damages to the disc material found between the bones. This can result in a herniated disc – often referred to as a “slipped” disc or “bulging” disc. The disc itself “bulges” out into the spinal column. Left untreated, the disc can eventually rupture into the spinal column. When a disc bulges out it can push on the tendons and nerves found inn the spinal column. If a disc begins to push on a nerve it can cause sever pain in your arms, hands and fingers, loss of feeling in your fingers, tingling and eventually cause you to lose strength in the arm and hand. Unfortunately, a herniated disc may take years to get to the point where the victim realizes she needs to seek treatment. For this reason, anyone that has been involved in a car accident should seek immediate medical treatment and request a thorough evaluation. A proper diagnosis now could save a victim years of pain and expense down the road.
If you are concerned you have suffered a http://whiplashlawyerus.com/ injury, seek medical attention as soon as possible. Once you have started your medical treatment, you should consult with an experienced whiplash injury attorney. In California, the victim of a whiplash injury is entitled to compensation for those injuries. The California whiplash injury law firm of Ledger & Associates has been representing whiplash injury victims for over a decade. If you would like to schedule a free and detailed evaluation of your potential whiplash injury case, please contact the team at Ledger & Associates by calling 1-800-300-0001 or visit them online at www.ledgerlaw.com.
