Part of the problem with whiplash injuries is that people will fake the injury as a way of making money off an accident. A variety of accidents can result in a whiplash injury and the symptoms are easy to fake. One of the symptoms of whiplash is neck discomfort, which can be difficult for doctors or experts to refute. But for those who suffer an actual whiplash injury, the consequences are very real.Whiplash injuries occur when the victim's body remains still but the head is thrust backward and then very quickly forward—similar to how the body would respond in a rear-end car accident. Although people use the word whiplash to describe the injuries, whiplash actually describes the motion of the head and neck. The injuries have a variety of names, including neck sprain and neck strain.
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Although most whiplash injuries involve minor soft tissue damage and victims fully recover from their injuries, some victims suffer a fracture of the vertebra and/or dislocation of the vertebra, which can have more serious consequences. Damage to the vertebra can result in temporary paralysis and permanent damage to the nerves in the area.
Whiplash injuries can be incredibly painful and they can require months of rehabilitation for the victim to recover. For most patients, recovery happens relatively quickly, but those with severe whiplash injuries might suffer from chronic pain, chronic headaches and spinal cord damage. For these patients, recovery can be a long process, and they may never fully recover.
READER COMMENTS
Sarah
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Heather
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chrystal coleman
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Mark
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Marcia McCullen
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I went through months of therapy, tests, this/that, doctors running up bills. Now over 6 years later, I cannot turn my neck; the pain is too excruciating. I cannot find a pillow that is comfortable, and I turn all night long trying to get my neck in a comfortable position, which there is none. Sitting and trying to sleep in a recliner is the better, but then my neck starts hurting after then.
I am limited to what I can do now from the neck injury. I refuse to have surgery because there is no guarantee the pain will go away. In most cases, surgery causes more damage than good. I know, the doctors have ruined my husband after 4 neck/back surgeries and he is on total disability from their fast way to make money.
I now can no longer work because of the neck pain, as I also sustained a back injury in the wreck as well. We were sitting still waiting to get on the freeway because their were cars stopped in front of us. But, she came barreling of the exit ramp, never stopped or slowed down, and plowed into us. Most thought we were "putting on". I wish they all had "my putting on" to "put up with".
Never judge a whiplash. There are those who may put-on just for money. But, there are those like myself who have never gotten over a whiplash, and will always have neck pain and problems for the rest of my life. No amount of money is worth the pain that I endure. Plus, I lost more than I received from the wreck. After lawyer fees and medical bills that we had to continue to pay out of our own pockets, the settlement was nothing. Because we are still paying for medical treatment.
So, to those who lie about whiplash; they will be judged by a higher judge. But, for those of us who will always have neck pain for as long as we live, it is real, not fake. I would rather have my health back without neck and back pain, than trying to make money off a lie. Because I will have to lie with the neck and back pain forever.