Whiplash is a traumatic injury of the neck muscles. Due to violent movements of the cervical spine, the neck muscles are torn and the resulting injuries occur. The symptoms of whiplash are manifold and can appear immediately after the accident or a few days later.
Causes
The causes of whiplash are traumatic. As a result of high whiplash forces on the cervical spine, there is a violent movement of the spine forward and/or backward. Not only the cervical spine, but also the muscles in this area are exposed to the shear forces.
To protect the bones and intervertebral discs from injury, the muscles tense up and overstretch. This overstretching causes injuries to the muscle. Such violent centrifugal forces often occur in a rear-end collision. But also martial arts or horseback riding offer risks to suffer a whiplash injury. In adults, for example, it must be greater forces that lead to an overstretching of the cervical spine muscles.
Symptoms
Common symptoms of whiplash are restrictions in the mobility of the cervical spine. In addition, pain in the neck and head area can occur. In addition to these symptoms, whiplash injuries can also cause dizziness or nausea due to irritation of the spinal cord, as well as disturbances of the sense of sight or hearing.
In addition, accidents can cause the head to bump against a surrounding object. In this case, symptoms on the head can also become noticeable, which often occur in combination with whiplash trauma. The psyche can also be changed by an accident on a structural or psychological level.
and ear noises – caused by the cervical spine. A precise inspection of the head area and the entire body is essential, as several areas of the body can be injured in an accident. The symptoms of whiplash are manifold and can occur singly or in combination.
The symptoms may become noticeable immediately after the accident or only after days. The severity of the damage can range from slight tension of the neck muscles to severe damage to vital vessels or nerves. If nausea in connection with whiplash injury becomes apparent, a doctor should be consulted immediately.
Nausea and vomiting may indicate damage to the brain stem or increased intracranial pressure. This can be caused by damage to the peripheral nerves that emerge in the area of the cervical spine or direct damage to the brain if the head has also been traumatized. Nausea does not always indicate direct nerve damage.
A simple irritation of the receptors in the area of the cervical spine can also be the cause, which is usually easily treatable. Nevertheless, the doctor should rule out severe damage or consequences. In addition to nausea, dizziness can also be a sign of damage to vital organs or nerves.
If dizziness appears directly after whiplash or a few days after it, a doctor should always be consulted. Dizziness can be caused by an irritation of the spinal cord in the area of the cervical spine. If the head has been thrown forward or backward by violent movements, the organ of equilibrium may also be irritated, whereupon dizziness follows.
Such symptoms are easily treatable and can also disappear with the time of regeneration. However, more serious damage should be ruled out as soon as possible. Since the overstretched muscles have to regenerate, a healing process takes place in the damaged structures.
Thus, subsequent inflammation and swelling in the muscle tissue can cause pain or tension even days after whiplash injury. It is therefore obvious that the symptoms can intensify after a few days. Inflammation and swelling are physiological processes during healing and can last for several days.
All articles in this series:
