Whiplash Injury

Common Symptoms after whiplash injury

In general patients develop symptoms soon after the accident or whiplash injury to their neck - these symptoms are not exclusive to the neck but can involve a whole range of other joint, muscle, soft tissue or psychological problems.

Most patients develop symptoms of whiplash within twenty four hours of the injury. There is good evidence that early onset of pain is associated with a longer time to recovery.

The symptoms after whiplash injury are dominated by pain in the neck and by headache. Pain across the shoulders and pain or pins and needles in the arms also commonly follow after whiplash related accidents. Other less common symptoms include dizziness, disturbance of vision and tinnitus or ringing noises in the ears. Whiplash injury is also associated with pain in the lower back - with some research studies reporting low back pain in up to forty percent of all patients. Temporary loss of memory and tearfulness are also sometimes experienced after whiplash - as are problems with swallowing or speech.

Neck pain after whiplash injury is usually felt over the back of the neck and is usually dull and aching in nature.

Neck movements make this pain worse and neck movements often produce sudden more severe or sharp neck pain. The neck pain is usually associated with stiffness in the neck muscles and a decreased range of movement in the neck.

The neck pain after whiplash often spreads down to the shoulders or to the area of the upper back between the shoulder blades.

Many research studies have tried to work out where the neck pain arises - the most likely culprit seems to be the joints between the vertebrae bones - but as yet there is no clear answer to that question.

Headache after whiplash
Headache is the second most common symptom after a whiplash injury. The headache is usually felt at the back of the neck and can sometimes continue for weeks after the accident.

Blurred vision after whiplash
Many patients have problems with focusing their vision for a few days after a whiplash injury. No-one knows why this happens but it can occur in about ten percent of those who have suffered a whiplash injury. It usually clears quickly without any treatment

Dizziness after whiplash
The figures vary between different research studies but it seems that up to 50 percent of people experience dizziness for up to a week after a whiplash injury.

Memory problems or poor concentration after whiplash injury
I have seen and examined many hundreds of patients after whiplash injuries. Only a few have ever spontaneously told me that there memory was poor after the accident but if I ask them directly about this, a surprising number admit that they did indeed have problems for up to two weeks after the accident.

Until recently the subject of pain in the lower part of the back after whiplash injury was a bit controversial. Several good new research papers have now shown that this lower back pain is both genuine and relatively common. Even though low back pain recovers more quickly than neck pain after whiplash injury, it seems that up to 60 percent of all whiplash injury patients complain of it.

Pain that is felt in both the neck and the shoulder is likely to have its origin in the neck. Pain from the neck often spreads down the arm over the shoulder or down towards the inner side of the shoulder blade.

Pain from the shoulder rarely spreads back up towards the neck.

Inflamed joints of the neck can send neck and shoulder pain down over the shoulder and into the arm.

Inflamed joints of the neck also often send neck and shoulder pain down the inner aspect of the shoulder blade and down the thoracic part of the spine as far as the level where a woman's bra strap would be

Inflamed discs of the neck send pain to both shoulder regions at the same time and may cause pain to spread quite far down into the arm

Trapped nerves in the neck create neck and shoulder pain and shooting pain down the arm as far as the hand. This kind of pain is often associated with a feeling of pins and needles in the hand.

You should be aware that combined neck and shoulder pain is often difficult to sort out - even for an experienced doctor or physiotherapist. Please seek help and advice from a professional if you have this kind of pain.

Neck and shoulder pain can sometimes be related to serious underlying disease so don't take any risks with your health - seek advice.

You doctor or therapist will listen carefully to the story of your neck and shoulder pain

It's often difficult to decide if this kind of pain is arising from the neck or from the shoulder so your doctor will make a close examination of both areas. Remember that other areas of the body can also send pain to the neck area or the shoulder area so you may also need an examination of the chest or the abdomen.

It's important to check out the nervous system. The nerves from the neck pass through the shoulder region on the way down the arm and nerve pain from the neck to the shoulder is not uncommon.

Remember - neck and shoulder pain can be caused by serious underlying disease. This is rare but if you develop sudden severe pain in this area then seek medical attention as soon as possible.

It's sometimes necessary for the doctor to exclude other problems by performing blood tests and arranging x-rays or scans.

An x-ray of the neck might show the wear and tear changes of cervical spondylosis. An x-ray of the shoulder might show calcium in the tendons or wear and tear in the shoulder joint.

Sometimes MRI scan of the neck is required to work out why you are experiencing your neck and

The key to treating neck and shoulder pain is to make an accurate diagnosis of the cause.

The pain might be arising from any of - or any combination of - the following areas:

* the bones of the cervical spine (or neck)
* the joints of the cervical spine
* the discs in the cervical spine
* the cervical spine nerve roots
* the neck and shoulder muscles
* the shoulder joint
* the shoulder bursa
* the shoulder tendons

Treatment options for neck and shoulder pain need to be directed at the underlying causes include:

* painkiller or anti-inflammation medication
* physical therapy from a physiotherapist, chiropractor or osteopath
* posture correction
* injection of a steroid drug
* strapping or taping of the shoulder
* acupuncture
* cervical spine surgery