Whiplash
This type of injury usually occurs when a person has been involved in a road traffic accident. It is a very general diagnosis and patients are often told by A&E or their local GP that they have whiplash, but no further explanation is given.
So what is it? Well it simply means that the muscles around the neck or back have tightened up as a result of the jerk or shunt or quick movement experienced during the crash. It does this in an attempt to restrict movement and prevent your neck or back being damaged further.
Unfortunately this shortening of the muscles can be quite painful both initially and long term, and sometimes doesn’t happen for up to two weeks later. One of the classic signs of a whiplash type injury is when a patient is unable to turn their head and they tend to turn the whole body, rather like a robot, in situations such as driving.
Caused by
Commonly caused by a road traffic injury but any incident where by the neck or back is moved sharply in a certain direction.
Recovery time
Very difficult to say as this is wholly dependant upon the severity of the impact or velocity of the movement. With treatment from one of our physios, recovery time can be anywhere between 2-3 months for a full recovery from a severe impact RTA.
More examples of the injuries we see every day in our practice
Back pain | Ankle sprain | Shoulder pain | Whiplash | Knee pain
