Identifying Whiplash Pain

The reasons for the whiplash pain are important to know for correct whiplash treatment to be effective. When the whiplash patient, with persistent pain, who does not have any additional particular findings through exam or specific tests, who presents the majority of problems for himself or herself, their doctor. In a couple of weeks to a few months after the whiplash patients’ car accident or truck accident, it is frequently unfeasible to settle on the precise reasons for the whiplash pain. The whiplash symptoms are not adequately exact. In approximately every occurrence, the muscles and ligaments have been strained and might be inflamed, painful, and tender. On the other hand after about three months, primary muscle or other soft tissue injuries usually have healed.

The most common reason for persistent pain in whiplash is the facet joints and the discs. There is a poor correlation between the radiographic appearance of the joints and whether they are painful. Some joints which look bad are painless while other joints which look normal may be proven to be a source of pain. Only facet injections may determine whether the joint is painful.

In a research study in about one fourth of the whiplash patients, facet joints on their own were the reason of pain. In one fifth of whiplash patients the discs only were the reason of pain and in 41 percent of whiplash patients both the facet joints and discs were contributing. They were not able to identify the source of the pain in only 17 percent of their whiplash patients.

Whiplash and its Associated Symptoms

Many whiplash patients have symptoms which seem unexplainable, such as headaches, pain in the shoulders, between the shoulder blades, or in one or both arms. There might be fatigue, dizziness, problems with vision, ringing in the ears, heaviness in the arms, and low back pain. There may be poor concentration or memory, change in emotions with irritability, depression or short temper, and sleep disturbance. Dizziness happens in one-quarter to one-half of people with whiplash injury. Again, researchers are not sure of the reason. The most likely explanation is an injury to the part of the inner ear which regulates balance. Problems with memory and concentration may be due to the pain itself, depression, medications, or trauma to the brain. Visual disturbances happen in 10 to 30 percent of whiplash patients and blurred vision is the most common.

Traditional Medicine and Long Term Outcome

Luckily, a good number of people who suffer from whiplash neck pain after a whiplash injury do get much better within six months. On the other hand, a small percentage of injured people will continue to have pain without treatment. Most whiplash patients destined to get better completely will have done so by three to four months, after which the rate of recuperation slows markedly. By two years, essentially all whiplash patients have reached their individual maximum improvement. About 18 percent continued to have serious pain two years after the accident! Whiplash patients who did not get well tended to be older, and had significant pain beginning soon after their accident, and many had their heads rotated to one side at the time of their impact. They additionally found which whiplash patients who, before the accident, had a history of neck pain, arthritis of the neck, or headaches did not do as well.