If you’re in pain after a fall, don’t rule out whiplash.
It’s widely known that whiplash is a common injury sustained in car accidents. However, if you’re suffering symptoms of neck pain, stiffness and loss of mobility, or headaches and back pain following a trip or fall, this could be the result of whiplash.
Whiplash injuries follow a familiar pattern, most frequently as a result of a rear-end collision in a car. The motion of your head jerking back on impact, then being thrown forward onto your chest due to the restraining force of the seatbelt and applying the brakes, is illustrated by the ‘whip-like’ motion which gives whiplash its name. In all cases, whiplash causes your spine to undergo strain outside of your body’s normal limits, and can cause severe damage to the soft tissues of the cervical spine – the upper region around the neck and shoulders – including sprained ligaments and even tears to your delicate muscles, ligaments and tendons.
Whiplash Injuries Caused by a Trip, a Slip or a Fall
The reality is that being rear-ended isn’t the only way you can acquire a whiplash injury. A blow or push from behind, such as in an industrial accident or an assault, can cause the spine to experience the same dangerous whiplash motion which could leave you with a painful and lasting injury.
Falling suddenly forward or backward, such as a slip or trip at work or on an uneven pavement or road can have the same effect. In these cases, if the individual tries to position their body in a way so as to counteract the fall, this may cause the neck excessive strain as the head jolts backwards and, once again, the individual risks suffering the consequences of whiplash.
Whiplash can also occur if you are hit on the head with force or by a heavy object, perhaps while working with machinery, on a building site, or even in an office or the supermarket. The head jolts, and the soft tissues of the cervical spine are once more exposed to hyperextension, sprains and tears, with the possibility of damage to the nerves and spinal cord.