Whiplash Doctor & Treatment

Have you been in a car accident? Then you may have a whiplash injury. Whiplash injuries need to be taken very seriously. Symptoms of a whiplash might take weeks or months before they cause pain so it is easy to be fooled into thinking that you are not as injured as you are. The most common injury during a car accident is whiplash. Whiplash is caused by a sudden movement of the head, either backward, forward, or sideways, that results in the damage to the muscles, ligaments and other connective tissues of the neck.

Unfortunately, by the time more serious complications develop, some of the damage from the Whiplash injury may have become permanent if left untreated. Many studies have shown that years after whiplash victims settle their insurance claims, roughly half of them still suffer with symptoms from their injuries. If you have been in a motor vehicle or any other kind of accident, don't assume that you escaped injury if you are not currently in pain.

During a rear end automobile collision, your body goes through an extremely rapid and intense acceleration and deceleration. Actually, all four phases of a whiplash can happen in less than half a second! In each phase, there is different force acting on the body that contributes to the overall injury, and with such a sudden and forceful movement, damage to the vertebrae, nerves, muscles and ligaments of your neck and spine can be substantial.

Phases of whiplash injuries:

The process of a whiplash injury sustained in a car accident can vary depending on many factors, including the angle and speed of the impact. The collision might happen from behind, resulting in a whiplash injury that occurs in five general phases:

The car gets hit from behind, causing the seat to push against the back. The spine gets loaded with forces that compress the cervical spine in an upward direction against the head.
The mid back continues to accelerate forward, but the head does not. As a result, the cervical spine’s natural C-curve (lordosis) temporarily becomes an unnatural S-shape. The abnormal compression and shearing forces can potentially damage intervertebral discs, facet joints, nerves and other neck tissues.
The person’s head slams back into the accelerating seat. Soft tissues at the front of the neck are likely to be injured here as the neck rapidly extends backward.
The head bounces off the seat and is thrown forward.

If you suspect that you have whiplash or any other injury, call us for a Free Consultation.

4 Convenient Locations:

Dover: 302-678-8866

Milford: 302-424-0556

Seaford: 302-628-8008

Wilmington: 302-235-1111