Duration of the therapy
The duration of the therapy depends on how quickly the symptoms can be reduced by the treatment. Usually this is the case within the first four weeks, but if chronicity is present, the duration of therapy can be continued for several months.
Duration of headache
Headaches are a completely natural symptom of whiplash. They are usually the first symptom and can take on enormous proportions. Headaches usually subside within the first few days, but can last for several months in the case of chronic whiplash.Headaches are caused by tension in the muscles of the neck and throat. When these symptoms have subsided completely, the headache will also subside.
Duration of sick leave
Whiplash injuries result in an injury in the area of the cervical spine. Usually this is caused by a rear-end collision, resulting in head, neck and muscle pain. Usually the whiplash injury is harmless and subsides within four weeks.
However, the severity of the trauma is independent of the severity of the car accident. Even a slight impact can cause severe whiplash injuries. Since the symptoms often start late, a doctor should be consulted under all circumstances.
Depending on the severity of the whiplash injury, a doctor can issue a sick note, usually between two days and three weeks. Longer than three weeks is not recommended, because then the chronic whiplash injury is favored. In chronic whiplash the psyche plays a decisive role. The memories and pain make the patient relive the accident. To prevent this, the accident victim should be reintegrated into his or her daily life as quickly as possible.
Summary
It is therefore not possible to make a generalized statement about how much time must pass after whiplash injury in order to be free of complaints. It depends on too many different – and partly not influenceable – factors. In many cases, the symptoms continue to occur more than half a year after the whiplash injury, in other cases they disappear after two weeks.
In order not to let it come to that, a car driver can achieve a great effect with a few simple steps: The correct adjustment of the headrest drastically reduces the risk of a whiplash injury – various educational campaigns are therefore aimed at this topic. Usually, however, almost 100% of all those affected become symptom-free again within one year. (87% after half a year).
However, the results vary greatly, depending on the study design and survey methods used. Often there is also a psychosomatic component, i.e. the complaints can continue even without a physical cause. In rare cases, the impairment becomes chronic and causes permanent pain and even incapacity to work.
