A Simple Primer on Whiplash, a/k/a "snap the whip"

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THE DIFFERENCE IS IN THE ENERGY BEING TRANSFERRED INTO THE HUMAN BODY
In a high speed vehicle collision, defined as a collision in excess of 7 miles per hour, a common personal injury that will occur is whiplash. It is the simple physics phenomenon in the old child's game 'Snap The Whip' seen in the above pastoral painting WITH ONE MAJOR DIFFERENCE: THE MILES PER HOUR OF THE ENERGY TRANSFER!

Our experienced attorneys have seen hundreds of cases where whiplash caused a head to violently hurl backwards, and then forward; your neck and shoulder muscles just are not strong enough to hold the old bowling ball still when you have the energy that 5+ miles per hour creates. Medical doctors call this injury a “hyperextension” from being jerked forward, and a “hyperflexion”, for being jerked backwards. Getting jerked like this will cause serious injuries to a neck and upper torso, like the upper rhomboids, and trapezium. Injuring your neck in such a way is commonly known as ‘whiplash’. The damage caused by whiplash can include inter-vertebral joint damage, disc damage, damages to the ligaments, cervical spine injury, other orthopedic injury, headaches, loss of sleep that then results in a domino series of events that sometimes leads to being fired and even divorced in rare cases. Whiplash can even cause traumatic and mild traumatic brain injury! I am not talking about what lawyers as a group think here but what medical doctors have objectively found in many cases.
Muscles and nerves can often become damaged in such a way as to cause future pain and suffering. Whiplash may be coupled with a mild traumatic brain injury such as a concussion, or a more serious traumatic brain injury, even skull fractures in rare cases. This is because passengers and drivers of passenger cars often hit their heads on the inside of the car they are riding in at the moment of impact. Whiplash in high speed collisions [7+ miles per hour] often present situations where the injury causes future pain and suffering; in lower mph collisions most typically when the injured person didn’t see it coming and did not brace at all. Some whiplash accidents may permanently damage the tissues around the neck. This could make it more likely you will be injured again, need money for prescription drugs, and be forced to take drugs to control your neck pain. This is all part of the civil claim for damages for lost wages, lost income and past, present and future pain and suffering damages. can be short term or life long, and can leave the neck forever vulnerable to injury. The tort injury can also manifest itself to the deltoids, biceps and triceps muscles and even your hands.

Tutorial Review - Ten Percent of all Whiplash Injuries Result in Permanent Disability in Car Crash Cases
Every year,10 percent of all car crash victims in the United States who receive a whiplash injury - which amounts to about 1,000,000 people - are long term injuries like brain injuries that will result in future medical care and loss of earnings to the tort victim. About twenty five (25) percent of those injuries will require medication for chronic pain. It will usually be impossible to work in a meaningful job when trying to undergo pain management simultaneously.
Our whiplash attorneys recognize that one out of about every seven whiplash cases show the plaintiff’s physical and mental pain and suffering is significant for longer than three (3) years from the date of the tort. Whiplash is easily diagnosed by an experienced medical physician. This is done by the rendering of a physical examination and usually includes the taking of x-rays, and sometime a cat-scan or mri. This way, the whiplash doctors can check and see if the films or computer animation shows a fracture, broken bone, and a problem with the cervical spine and the discs of the vertebrae. The procedure will also usually pick up objective problems like neck alignment as well.
Sometimes the spine will actually reverse from its natural curve may be reversed. This will usually cause uneven distribution of body weight. This can cause even more serious injuries requiring a chiropractor. This is because it will exacerbate and misalign the veterbrate. Later in life these injuries often result in painful bursitis. This condition can lead to arthritic degeneration and recurring pain. Many professional athletes have this condition, often known as bursitis and it is very painful. Fortunately for these athletes, many of them can afford top rate medical care and don’t need to work when they retire. If that’s not you, you need an experienced car accident attorney.
If you have been in a collision that exceeds in your opinion 5 mph we advise you to take drive in the ambulance to a hospital. There your neck can be stabilized and you will be given a hard or soft collar depending on your condition. You will need to tell the doctor about how the other driver caused the accident and make sure to tell your doctor how seriously you have been hurt. Later your doctor may be called as a witness. If all of your complaints are not written down in a medical record, the defense attorneys will say you weren’t hurt as bad as you are claiming and that on that basis, you lack credibility. If a jury finds that your lack credibility in a jury trial, you will seriously hamper your whiplash attorneys when they litigate your car accident. This could cause a defense verdict, leaving you with medical bills and future pain and suffering. If you were set on a back board, this is because the ambulance and EMT thought your injuries might be serious.
Our whiplash lawyers have seen that treatment for whiplash is based upon many factors. One of those factors is how much the forces involved will jarred your head and neck, spine joints like discs, muscles ligaments and nerves: You will need to undergo physical therapy. This will sometimes consist of cold and hot treatments, electric muscle stimulation like traction. You may have to wear a cervical collar for a long time, or worse. You may require a stiff collar. There are also other methods such as ultrasound, massage, trigger point conditioning. Getting a physical therapist is a good way to go. This can help realign your neck without further injuring the surrounding muscle and tissue. You will need to see a neurologist and take pain meds like Vicodin. These are narcotics and my cause chemical dependency.
Contact our whiplash attorneys in Newnan to discuss this very common personal injury known as whiplash. Let our experienced whiplash attorneys help you find a good medical doctor to get physical therapy if you are experiencing “hyperextension” and “hyperflexion” before the nagging pain in your neck develops into chronic myofascial pain syndrome Call our attorneys hotline now: 770-253-7778