When most people think of whiplash, they think of neck pain. Most don’t realize what that neck pain is or why whiplash commonly shows itself in the neck first, but they know enough to seek medical attention if they have severe pain in the neck area after an accident.
Neck pain from whiplash is also the type of pain people are more likely to “fake” when they want to pretend they were injured in a car accident! Unfortunately, they aren’t knowledgeable about the other symptoms of whiplash and their acting skills fall far less than believable in the long run.
In some cases neck pain from whiplash can be a minor annoyance that goes away rather quickly, but in more severe cases whiplash can bring long term pain that interrupts daily life. This is when it becomes more than just a pain in the neck!
Understanding Neck Pain from Whiplash
There is a good reason that most people experience pain in the neck area when they suffer from whiplash.
Whiplash occurs when the body is snapped in the opposite direction of the head. There doesn’t have to be ongoing shaking or snapping of the neck to get whiplash. Just a brief moment of the head being jerked in one direction and the body in another is enough to bring on severe pain at the mid-point between the body and head: the neck. Just one brief second of the body being jerked can result in months if not years of neck pain!
Anatomy of the Neck
The neck has a few different jobs and they are all essential to the health and proper functioning of the body:
1. The neck supports the head and allows the head to move around independent of the body.
2. The neck protects the nerves that travel between the brain and body. These nerves carry messages back and forth between the brain and body and are essential for proper functioning of every organ, muscle, and limb in the body.
3. The neck allows nourishment, water, and air to be passed from the mouth and nose down into the body for sustenance.
An injury to the neck could be fatal because it is the connecting force between the brain and the body. Whiplash is the strain or injury of neck muscles and/or soft tissue, but there are also bones, discs, ligaments, nerves, and blood vessels that can be injured during an accident.
Most people think of whiplash as a fairly non-threatening injury to the muscle in the neck. The neck muscle is strained when the head is jerked forward and back while the body is held motionless or jerks in opposite directions. This is the most basic understanding of neck pain from whiplash, but more damage can be done since the neck also houses nerves and discs that can lead to more substantial damage.
In the case of minor muscle strain from an accident, the injury typically heals quickly. Little to no medical intervention is needed, but massage therapy may help ease pain and stiffness so recovery is faster and more comfortable.
More Significant Neck Pain from Whiplash
What many people do not understand is that significant neck pain after an accident that does not improve or go away in a short period of time could be caused by more significant damage to the neck and/or spine. Some of the more significant causes of neck pain from whiplash include:
- Stretched or torn ligaments
- Injured or herniated discs
- Fractured spinal vertebrae (bone)
- Injured blood vessels
Some of these problems can be very severe since they occur to the spinal system that extends down into the back. For instance, those suffering from injured discs may experience uncomfortable tingling in their arms or their arms could go completely numb. This is a complication of whiplash that of course is much more serious than the basic muscle strain most people relate to whiplash from an accident.
Treating Neck Pain from Whiplash
Treatment for neck pain varies widely, depending on the exact nature of the injury. Many people will go through physical therapy and/or massage therapy to relax the muscle and help recover from whiplash, but more serious therapeutic measures may be taken for more substantial injuries.
In many cases, treatment is aimed at relieving pain and making the patient more comfortable as the injury heals. In some cases such as a herniated disc in the neck, the only permanent solution is surgery. Many people do not have enough constant pain to warrant the surgery and will opt to have routine physical therapy treatments to keep the injury as pain-free as possible.
This article is considered general information only; please consult a medical professional concerning your specific condition.
Related posts:
- Visual Symptoms From Whiplash
- About Arm or Shoulder Pain from Whiplash After a Car Accident
- Dizziness or Vertigo After a Car Accident: Could Whiplash be the Culprit?
- Post-Accident Headaches: Is Your Headache Telling You Something?
- Lower Back Pain After a Car Accident: It Could be Related to Whiplash