The collision was avoidable. The other driver traveled at excessive speeds and crashed into the back of your car. You have sustained many injuries, and, among the most serious is whiplash as your neck violently thrust forward and back.
After the crash, you just want to get medical help for the severe neck pain. You wonder how long this pain will last. It could take a few weeks, a few months, a few years or may lead to a permanent disability. Now, you also wonder about the potential long-term effects of whiplash.
Chronic neck pain, depression
Everyone recovers differently from an injury. However, chronic pain from a whiplash injury is much more likely when your initial symptoms were intense and included severe neck pain, pain that had spread to the arms along with a limited range of motion.
The resulting injuries from whiplash may affect the spine, discs between the bones of the spine, soft tissues around the neck, ligaments, muscles and nerves. If the pain does not end after a few weeks, you are one of the few unlucky ones to experience complications. In such situations, the pain may last for several months as well as even years.
Here are some of the long-term effects one may experience after a whiplash injury:
- Continuing headaches
- Chronic neck pain
- Chronic back pain
- Misalignment of the spine
- Blurred vision
- Post-traumatic stress
- Depression
- Brain-related injuries such as memory loss, insomnia, difficulty staying focused and sudden mood swings
If you experience any initial signs of whiplash or other injuries, please seek immediate medical treatment. The sooner a physician sees you, the sooner the diagnosis as well as improved chances of recovery. Long-term effects of a whiplash injury may last a long time. Follow the recommendations of your doctor.