Oakland, California, residents are more likely to be involved in a car accident than they might think. The California Office of Traffic Safety (COTS) reports that more than 2,400 people were killed or injured in motor vehicle accidents in Oakland in 2017.
If you are someone who has recently been in an accident, you might be suffering from whiplash. It’s important to have yourself checked out for this injury as soon as possible after an accident, and whiplash can have some serious long-term effects if it’s not treated immediately.
What is whiplash?
More than 2 million Americans per year experience whiplash, a Rush University article reports. Whiplash is caused by the violent forces of a rear-end collision, and it happens when these forces cause the head and neck to move suddenly forward and backward. This motion is often compared to the snapping of a whip, hence the name of this injury.
The symptoms of whiplash can often stay dormant for several days after an accident. This is one reason you shouldn’t avoid getting checked out by a doctor immediately after a car accident. Doctors can help you learn if you have whiplash even before symptoms appear, and they can also typically determine if you’re likely to suffer long-term effects from whiplash.
Some long-term effects whiplash can have
It’s more likely that you’ll experience serious long-term effects from whiplash if you leave it untreated. However, serious soft tissue injuries from whiplash can also lead to such effects, such as torn neck or shoulder muscles, to name one. Not getting whiplash treated or serious resulting injuries can lead to many issues that can affect you for years, including:
- Stiffness and pain in the neck, shoulders, jaw and back
- Numbness or weakness in the arms or legs
- Chronic headaches
- Decreased neck range of motion
- Dizziness and vertigo
- Vision problems
- Difficulty remembering things or focusing
- Trouble sleeping
- Ringing sounds in the ears (tinnitus)
- Anxiety when riding in a car
Find help with long-term whiplash effects at SOL Physical Therapy
Finding effective treatment can go a long way toward reducing the whiplash effects you have to deal with. That’s where our team at SOL Physical Therapy in Oakland comes in. We offer a free screening service that allows us to gather information about your injury. Our team can then use this data to build you a personalized treatment plan for whiplash and other car accident injuries.
Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an appointment to start treating your car accident injury.
