Ever woken up feeling like you got rear-ended by a truck… but then remembered, oh wait, you actually did? That, my friend, might be whiplash.
A lot of people ask, “How do I know if I have whiplash?” Well, let’s break it down. The Mayo Clinic describes whiplash symptoms as:
- Neck pain and stiffness (a.k.a. your head suddenly feels like a brick)
- Pain that gets worse with movement (because why not make life more difficult?)
- Loss of range of motion (your head turns like an old rusty door hinge)
- Headaches, often starting at the base of the skull (because your neck decided to throw a party, and your head wasn’t invited)
- Tenderness or pain in the shoulders, upper back, or arms
- Tingling or numbness in the arms (fun fact: this is NOT normal)
- Dizziness, tiredness, blurred vision, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), trouble sleeping, crankiness (understandable), trouble focusing, memory problems, and even depression
Whew! That’s a long list of symptoms for something that technically isn’t even a diagnosis. That’s right—whiplash isn’t a medical condition; it’s a mechanism of injury. In the accident and injury world, we call it cervical acceleration/deceleration injury (because apparently, we like to make things sound fancy).
How Does a Whiplash Injury Happen?
Imagine your head—an 8-10 lb. bowling ball—perched on your neck. Now imagine that bowling ball getting whipped backward and then forward in milliseconds. That’s what happens in a car accident.
To put it in perspective, in a low-speed collision (as little as 7.8 mph), your head can experience up to 12 G’s of force. If you’ve ever been on one of those spinning carnival rides and struggled to lift your head off the seat, you know how hard it is—and that’s only about 2-4 G’s of force over several seconds. Now, in a car accident? That force can be 4-6 times stronger and happens so fast you don’t even realize what hit you (literally).
What really matters is what happens to your body during that trauma. Your diagnosis could be as simple as a minor muscle strain or as serious as spinal instability requiring surgery. So if your neck is staging a rebellion, don’t just wait it out. Ignoring it can lead to chronic pain and joint degeneration—problems that can stick around way longer than you’d like.
At Axcess Accident Center, our doctors are constantly advancing their education to properly diagnose and treat cervical acceleration/deceleration injuries. We take the time to thoroughly examine, diagnose, and treat your condition. And if needed, we’ll refer you to other trusted medical professionals to ensure you get the care you deserve.
Bottom line? Don’t let whiplash slow you down. Come see us, get a proper diagnosis, and get back to living your extraordinary life—without the neck drama.
