Whiplash is caused by that sudden movement of the head back and forth. It is the most common injury you can come across in road traffic accidents, but it also occurs while performing other activities that involve constant movement of the head. Let's see now what are the symptoms of whiplash?

Whiplash injuries cause pain and discomfort in the neck and back area. Stiffness and a somewhat incapacity of moving of the head are also symptoms of whiplash and can manifest after an accident. Usually, a whiplash type of injury affects the ligaments and tendons in the neck and upper back area which make for this shortage of movement. Other symptoms related to whiplash are headaches, muscle spasm, pain in shoulders and arms, sometimes shortage of breath, etc which surface within the first few days after the accident.

The most difficult part when dealing with such injuries is not treatment, but diagnosis. It is a well known fact among doctors that other than patient's own description of pain and discomfort there is no other way to identify whiplash injuries' symptoms. Most doctors and physicians find themselves in the impossibility to prescribe a good treatment for patients who suffer from whiplash related injuries as most symptoms don't appear on the screen. MRI scans, CT scans or even X-ray are useless in pin pointing whiplash. Medical experience of your GP and your own describing of the discomfort you feel in absolute detail may save both you and your doctor from a lot of investigating and lost time.

Of all the symptoms of whiplash headaches are the most commonly spread around the wide public. If you have been the victim of a car accident and start to experience discomfort when trying to move your head up and down or from side to side, you are most likely the victim of a whiplash injury. If such is the case you must rush up to your doctor and have a complete physical examination done to possibly identify and eliminate all other traumas which may appear.

Neck pain and shoulder stiffness are the next most common syndromes of whiplash. Because injuries such as this aim at your ligaments and tendons, immediate discomfort will be sensed within the first hours after the accident. If the accident was a minor one the pain may just as well disappear after only a few hours. In the unfortunate event where your accident was not so mild you can carry this burden for a few years, or you may never shake it off again.

Injuries make you lose confidence in yourself, can cause you to stay in bed and miss time from work, they will incur medical expenses, etc. All these factors should make you consider forwarding a compensation claim against the person responsible for your injuries. Depending on the gravity of your injuries your claim will get maximum compensation. Our advice: never let pain unattended. At the first symptoms of whiplash contact your doctor and insurance company and take care of yourself. No one else will.