Every year, there is an average of six million car crashes in the US. While thankfully not all of these collisions result in death or injury, about half of them do. One of the most common injuries that people suffer as a result of car crashes is whiplash, a result of the head being whipped back and forth forcefully during the collision.
If you think that you may have whiplash as a result of a car accident, you likely have many questions. What symptoms will you be noticing? How long does it take for whiplash symptoms to appear? After how long do you need to see a doctor?
Read on to answer these questions and get medical assistance if you are suffering from whiplash.
What Symptoms Will You Notice From Whiplash?
A telltale sign that you have whiplash comes when you notice the symptoms begin to appear.
Neck pain and stiffness are some of the first symptoms that you’ll notice, but this is usually accompanied by worse pain when you try to move your neck or back. The range of movement in your neck might suffer for this reason.
Whiplash doesn’t only affect the neck. You might begin to notice a tender pain in the shoulders and upper arms as well as headaches that commonly begin at the base of your skull. Back pain is also a huge symptom of whiplash, which makes sense since your spine takes a beating in a collision. Numbness in the arms is also a symptom of whiplash.
You may also experience nausea, fatigue, dizziness, blurred vision, or sleep disturbances.
How Long Does It Take for Whiplash Symptoms to Appear?
Generally, most symptoms of whiplash will appear within the first 24 hours after the accident. You likely won’t feel this pain immediately after the collision due to shock, adrenaline rush, and other factors. To know if they’ll appear, you need to wait a full day. If they don’t appear within this period, likely, they won’t develop at all congratulations!
However, many people do develop symptoms after this time frame. Sometimes, it takes a few days for them to appear. You should check with a specialty doctor ASAP to see if you have whiplash and be sure that you get the required treatment if you do.
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So, how long does it take for whiplash symptoms to appear? Generally, it takes about 24 hours for these symptoms to appear, but it can be shorter or longer depending on other factors having to do with the collision.
Now that you know all how long you will need to wait to see symptoms of whiplash, it is time to see a medical professional so that you can check to make sure whether or not you have this injury. We offer live chat services on our website if you want to ask us any further questions. However, you’ll also want to click here to schedule a free consultation with our knowledgeable professionals.
