What Is Late Whiplash Syndrome?

The symptoms of whiplash can vary greatly from accident to accident. Some people suffer from nothing more than a stiff neck for a few weeks and then make a full recovery, others aren’t so fortunate and may develop injuries that last a lifetime and make a huge impact on their lifestyles. The most common cause of whiplash is road traffic accidents and the worse kinds of whiplash occur when the vehicle is shunted from either behind or from the side.

It is thought that most people who suffer from a whiplash-associated disorder experience symptoms for less than three months and then they perhaps only experience the occasional residual headache or neck ache. However, there are a proportion of those people who sustain whiplash-type injuries will go on to suffer with what is known as late whiplash syndrome. This is the name given to a set of symptoms that last longer than six months after the accident that caused the injury. In some cases insurance companies have denied the existence of the condition in a bid to avoid paying out hefty compensation fees. However, this has been challenged by many healthcare professionals who accept that many people may be caused a lot of pain and suffering because of the condition.

The symptoms of late whiplash syndrome are much the same as any normal whiplash related injury in that the type of pain people experience is mostly confined to the neck area and headaches are a very common complaint with this condition. However, victims of late whiplash syndrome also suffer from emotions symptoms with around 60% of sufferers reporting anxiety and irritability, whilst half of which suffer from depression. A study into the symptoms of late whiplash syndrome showed that more people reported arm and shoulder pain after six months than they did after less than 2 weeks. It is thought that in whiplash injury cases, arm and shoulder pain is referred pain, meaning that the damage at the nerve toot results in pain that is felt at the area the nerve serves.

Analysis into the cause of late whiplash syndrome has found that is it most likely caused by the C2-C3 zygapophyseal joint in the neck. When anaesthetic was applied to the joint doctors found that is was responsible for 50% of headaches. The pain produced by the joint is also found to influence the levels of concentration, memory, weakness or heaviness in the joints and dizziness in a person.

Statistics show that around 6% of people who suffer from late whiplash syndrome are off work for over a year and a further 15% still take pain relief after this time. As a result of this time of work and loss of earnings, many people who suffer from late whiplash syndrome go on to seek compensation for their losses, pain and change in lifestyle.

If you have been injured in an accident that was not your fault then you may be eligible to make a claim for compensation. Contact Accident Consult today to see if your case is valid or not.