A Look at Whiplash and its Short and Long-Term Effects

Automobile accidents continue to be one of society’s main driver safety concerns, and with good reason. Many thousands of vehicular accidents occur each day across the United States, resulting in everything from minor injury to death. Whiplash is one of the most common types of injuries suffered in these collisions, and has been the focus of ongoing debate and research over the last few decades. Despite the rate at which these injuries occur, however, whiplash continues to be a misunderstood condition that can have both short-term and ongoing negative effects on the lives of those who experience it. 

What is Whiplash?

The neck injury most commonly referred to as whiplash occurs as the result of a forceful movement of the neck as it is whipped back and forth. The injury itself results from the rapid flexion and hyperextension of the muscles and soft tissue as energy is transferred to the neck, whipping the head backwards, forwards, or in both directions in quick succession. Whiplash is most commonly associated with car accidents, particularly those in which one vehicle is struck from behind. It should be noted, however, that there are also incidents in which this condition occurs due to sports trauma or even physical abuse.

How Can You Recognize Whiplash Symptoms?

Patients who have suffered any degree of whiplash will typically start experiencing symptoms within the first twenty-four hours after the incident. Often times, patients can have difficulty identifying the nature of their discomfort, since these symptoms can vary depending upon the exact nature of the injury. As a general rule, however, you may be suffering from whiplash if you are experiencing any of the following:

• Headaches, dizziness, memory issues, or blurred vision
• Pain, stiffness, and impaired movement in the neck
• Shoulder pain or tenderness, including pain that radiates to the upper extremities
• Tingling
• Numbness in the extremities
• Otherwise unexplained fatigue or sleep disruptions
• Tinnitus 

How frequently does it occur?

Whiplash includes both neck strains and sprains, and is reportedly the most common complaint seen in insurance claims within the United States. In the year 2007 alone, the total cost of whiplash claims in the U.S. amounted to roughly $8.8 billion. For that year, neck injuries of this kind accounted for one out of every four crash injury insurance claim settlements.

The Texas DOT’s report for 2013 offered a gloomy reminder of just how serious this issue is in terms of driver vulnerability to whiplash. Throughout that year, there was an average of one collision every 71 seconds, and more than 26 injuries every hour. Since neck injuries can occur in any type of vehicular crash, those numbers give a sense of just how vulnerable drivers are to whiplash – and that’s just Texas alone!

According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) assessment of National Analysis Sampling System (NASS) data, drivers suffered more than 805,000 whiplash injuries each year from 1988 to 1996. Nearly a third of those injuries were the direct result of rear-end collisions. And those injuries came at a cost. In fact, when assessed at the 2002 dollar value, each of those injuries cost an average of almost $10,000 in economic and life quality costs. Even without adding in the cost of actual property damage, the total annual cost associated with whiplash injuries amounted to roughly $2.7 billion.

Of course, other estimates place the number of whiplash injuries at more than one million each year, which would mean that the costs associated with those injuries is even greater than the NHTSA assumes. Even more alarming is the fact that actual whiplash damages are just part of the story when it comes to economic costs. The National Institute of Health estimates that the American tort system is deluged each year with what it calls “insincere or inflated minor crash injury claims” – fraudulent injury claims that often result in lawsuits that have helped to elevate health care costs by some $5.8 billion and insurance premiums by more than $19 billion annually. 

The Short Term Impact

It is important to note that the bulk of these injuries consist of simple neck strains that have no real lasting impact. In most instances, this less-severe type of injury heals of its own accord in as little as three weeks, provided no further strain is placed upon the muscle tissue. Those who take longer to heal may suffer from headaches and other symptoms for several months before full recovery is attained.

The Long Term Impact

For the roughly 43% of patients who continue to experience symptoms for many months and even years after the incident, the prognosis is not as kind. Some of those patients never recover, and may even suffer permanent disability that can impede normal daily activities and substantially impact quality of life. Some are injured so badly that they end up suffering chronic pain for the rest of their lives, particularly those victims who have some previous neck injury in their past or whose perception of heir injury leads to a heightened awareness of pain sensations.

Because these complications can be so impactful on patients’ lives, it is important for any accident victim who experiences whiplash symptoms to seek prompt medical treatment. That is the best way to ensure that your doctor is alerted to the possibility of neck injury, and prevent as many additional complications as possible. 

Safety Steps You Can Take

Whiplash is not always avoidable, but safety experts do have some simple advice that can help to reduce the risk you face on the road. Obviously, they recommend that drivers always be cautious and maintain a safe operating distance between themselves and other vehicles – a minimum of two seconds distance at all times.

Even more important, however, is that you take the steps necessary to provide your head and neck with as much protection as possible. Many whiplash victims have been harmed due to a failure to properly align their driver-side head restraint. Your head and neck are best protected when the top of that head rest is at the same height as the top of your head. That allows your head to be cushioned by the body of the restraint, providing some level of security in the event that you are rear-ended in an accident.