Whiplash can have several long-term effects in Shawnee, KS

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) reports that there were almost 59,000 motor vehicle accidents in 2017. They also listed following too closely as one of the top five reasons these accidents occurred, which can also lead to rear-end collisions. 

Rear-end collisions are especially likely to cause injuries because they can cause the head to move forward and backward violently. This type of movement can lead to a common type of motor vehicle accident injury called whiplash, and not treating whiplash can lead to many negative long-term effects. 

A few of the long-term effects of whiplash

Whiplash often leads to overstretching or tearing of neck and shoulder muscles, ligaments and other soft tissue. However, the pain and other symptoms of this injury may not appear right away. Some people might feel fine for days, weeks or even months, and then, they’re hit with whiplash symptoms. 

The lag in its symptoms is one reason you should have your doctor check you for whiplash right after your crash. Failing to catch and treat whiplash immediately can cause long-term effects like: 

• Jaw pain — Several of the muscles in your neck also help move the jaw. Whiplash can cause strains or tears in these muscles. Also, the movement that causes whiplash can cause your jaw to fly open, which can lead to similar injuries. If left untreated, these injuries can lead to chronic pain in the jaw.

• Headaches — The head and neck are connected by muscles and nerves that can be affected by whiplash. Unrelieved tension in the suboccipital muscles at the base of your skull can lead to frequent headaches. Similarly, whiplash can irritate nerves that run into your head, and this can also trigger chronic headaches. 

• Vision problems — Untreated nerve damage from whiplash can cause vision problems. Often, such damage can cause blurring of the vision that can make it dangerous to drive. It can also make it harder to control the movement of your eyes, and this can lead to dizziness or vertigo when walking or moving your head in certain ways. 

SSOR in Shawnee can help you avoid the long-term effects of whiplash

At SSOR’s Shawnee clinic, our experienced team of physical therapists is ready to help you treat whiplash. You can start your therapy with us by coming in for a complimentary screening. This service is designed to help us learn what symptoms your whiplash is causing. With this information, our team can build you a personalized treatment plan that can offer benefits like: 

• Reducing pain
• Improving neck mobility
• Speeding up healing
• Decreasing likelihood of long-term effects

Contact us today for more about how we can help you with whiplash or to schedule your complimentary screening.