Millions of Canadians suffer from whiplash every year. Although not life-threatening, whiplash symptoms can interfere with your daily life and persist for months or even years.
Here’s what you need to know about the realities of whiplash.
WHIPLASH SYMPTOMS
Whiplash is a soft tissue injury that occurs when a person’s neck moves abruptly from side to side or forwards and backwards due to a sudden force. This is often the result of being in a car accident and can cause painful, long-lasting damage. The extreme stretching, tearing and straining caused by whiplash can result in a myriad of symptoms, including:
Neck, back and shoulder pain
Headaches
Muscle stiffness
Dizziness
Jaw pain
Ringing in the ears
Difficulty concentrating
Severe symptoms can affect a person’s daily life, leaving them unable to work or carry out their daily activities.
DIAGNOSING WHIPLASH AFTER AN ACCIDENT
It’s important to seek immediate medical attention following a car accident, even if you feel no pain or discomfort. Whiplash can take days, weeks or even months to develop. Therefore, promptly receiving a diagnosis can help avoid future complications. Your doctor may examine your neck for pain, tenderness, swelling, spasms and range of motion to determine if you’re suffering from whiplash. They may also order X-rays, MRIs, CTs or other scans to check for indications of damage.
WHIPLASH RECOVERY PERIOD
Depending on the severity of the symptoms, whiplash can be treated with physiotherapy, chiropractic care, acupuncture, massage therapy and pain medication. Most whiplash patients recover within three months. However, it’s also possible for whiplash-related symptoms to become chronic.
HOW TO SECURE COMPENSATION
If you’ve sustained whiplash in a car accident, you could be entitled to receive compensation for your current and future medical bills, rehabilitation costs, pain and suffering and lost wages. Remember that in Ontario, you must prove that another party acted recklessly or negligently and that those actions led to your injury. Therefore, it’s imperative to contact a personal injury lawyer soon after being involved in a collision. They’ll work closely with your doctor to create a legal strategy to help get you the compensation you deserve.
JUSTICE FOR WHIPLASH VICTIMS IN NORTHERN ONTARIO
If you or a loved one are suffering from whiplash following a car accident, you may be entitled to receive compensation. Fortunately, you can put your trust in a personal injury lawyer from Feifel Gualazzi. Our team specializes in personal injury claims and has helped thousands of clients in Northern Ontario secure fair settlements. Contact us for a free consultation or to find out if you have a case.