Introduction
The duration of a whiplash injury depends largely on the severity of the accident. First symptoms usually appear 0-72 hours after the event and last for varying lengths of time. The forces acting on the body vary in strength depending on the mechanism of the accident, resulting in different recovery times.
The severity of a whiplash injury is classified in the Quebec Classification: Although fractures usually heal within 6 weeks, an invasive operation is often necessary to stabilize the fractured vertebral bodies, which can also injure supporting muscles. It is not without reason that grade 4 is the last and most severe stage of whiplash. In most cases an appropriate follow-up treatment by means of rehab or physiotherapy is also necessary.
- Grade 0 – no complaints, no symptoms
- Grade 1 – Neck pain, stiffness of the neck. These symptoms can last for days up to weeks
- Grade 2 – Muscle tension with restricted movement – Depending on therapy and spread, it may take several weeks before these symptoms disappear
- Grade 3 – complaints with neurological symptoms. This indicates a particularly severe application of force involving the central nervous system. An impairment or damage of nerve tracts in the brain and/or spinal cord must be considered, which may persist for years.
- Grade 4 – Whiplash with vertebral fracture or dislocations (displacements).
Duration of healing
The duration of the healing of a whiplash injury depends on the severity of it. Usually the symptoms of whiplash disappear within the first four weeks. However, whiplash can also take a chronic development.
The psyche of the patient plays a decisive role in this process. In this case the whiplash injury can last for several months and may require contact with a psychologist. Such a chronic whiplash injury occurs in about every tenth person.
Women of higher age show a particularly high risk of suffering a chronic whiplash injury. In the past, a neck brace was prescribed to immobilize the neck, but nowadays this has been abandoned and the focus is more on early recovery of mobility. The inevitable pain is combated with painkillers.
Although these have the disadvantage that they attack the stomach lining and must therefore be taken in combination with a stomach protector, an early resumption of movement significantly accelerates the healing rate. A neck brace is usually only used within the first few days after whiplash, but it has neither advantages nor disadvantages. Its main function is to restrict the patient’s movement in order to avoid jerky movements.
Especially short time after the surgery the affected area is still very unstable. Physiotherapy is also often prescribed with the aim of shortening the healing time after whiplash. Although it has a proven benefit for other muscular problems, the therapy after whiplash is complicated: In a large study with almost 4000 patients, the duration until freedom from symptoms could not be significantly shortened compared to the control group, although small improvements were achieved. The head and neck region is anatomically and muscularly seen a comparatively complicated structured and susceptible region – in combination with the high force applied in case of whiplash trauma a bad prerequisite for a fast healing. It represents a difficult and sometimes lengthy task for physiotherapists, physicians and patients, which cannot always be solved to their complete satisfaction.