Whiplash symptoms can mean more than a sore neck. The injury can cause a wide range of problems. In this article, we look at the causes and effects of whiplash, the variety of symptoms and how long they last, and what you should know about treatment.

What causes whiplash?

Whiplash is an injury where the head snaps rapidly back and forwards, causing strain and damage to muscles, nerves and joints.

This kind of injury happens most often in a road traffic accident, although whiplash can occur in other situations, such as a sports injury, fall or when diving.

Although it most commonly affects the neck, the lower back is also vulnerable to this ‘snapping’ motion. Symptoms can spread to other parts of the body, too.

Whiplash symptoms

Pain and stiffness are the main symptoms of whiplash, and there’s often a delay of a few hours, or even a couple of days, before the pain comes on.

Other symptoms can include:

• Headache
• Pain that spreads from the neck to the shoulder or arm
• Spasm, stiffness and difficulty moving the neck and/or lower back
• Pain in the jaw joint, sometimes with clicking (temporomandibular dysfunction)
• Deafness or ringing/buzzing in the ears (tinnitus)
• Tingling in the hands
• Dizziness
• Blurred vision
• Fatigue and disrupted sleep
• Cognitive problems, such as memory trouble
• Nausea

Most people won’t experience all these symptoms, and symptoms usually start to improve over a few days or weeks.

If you have severe pain that came on quickly, increasing pins and needles or numbness, blurred vision, tinnitus, dizziness or difficulty with balance, get checked by a doctor.

How long do whiplash symptoms last?

Whiplash injuries can be hard to cope with, and you may feel they’re never going to get better. But stay positive – almost all cases start to improve within one to three weeks.

All the research shows that staying active and carrying on as normal, as far as you can, is the best route to recovery. Don’t hold your neck still or use a neck brace – this will only increase your stiffness and make symptoms last longer.

Most people find their whiplash symptoms resolve entirely, and they don’t have lasting problems. But for some, there will still be some symptoms a year after the accident.

This chronic whiplash seems more likely to occur if your symptoms came on quickly after the accident, they were severe, they included shooting pains into the arms, or you had cognitive problems such as memory loss.

Interestingly, being physically and psychologically well when the accident happens are the biggest protective factors against developing chronic pain afterwards.

Pre-accident health has a greater effect than the severity of the injury in predicting chronic pain – a finding that has been repeatedly backed up by research, including this 2006 study and another in 2012.

Treatment for whiplash

You could argue, then, that the avoidance of chronic whiplash symptoms starts before the accident occurs.

Looking after your health, staying in good condition and managing stress can offer the biggest protections against long-term pain.

But if you already have a whiplash injury, there are things you can do to aid recovery:

1. Heat, ice and medication

As soon as symptoms start to emerge, apply an ice-pack to reduce swelling and pain. After the first 24 hours, alternate between ice and heat, as warmth can ease muscle stiffness.

Over-the-counter medications, such as paracetamol or anti-inflammatories, can also help ease symptoms in the early stages. Some people also find a rub-on gel or balm helpful.

2. Keep moving

Gentle stretches can work wonders. Head rotations, chin tucks, side bends and shoulder rolls will help reduce swelling, ease the build-up of stiffness and promote healing. Go easy and just do what you can, little and often.

Exercise is important, with research showing that muscle strengthening, stretching, and exercises to improve balance, posture, coordination and stability are all helpful.

Ideally, exercises should address your situation, working on areas that may have been affected by the injury. The exercises should be progressive, becoming more challenging as you improve. But the important thing is to do some exercises – the type you choose is less significant.

3. See a physio

A physiotherapist can assess your whiplash, identifying which structures have been injured. They can formulate a targeted, progressive exercise programme to help you recover as fully and quickly as possible.

Alongside exercise, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends manual therapy as a useful treatment for whiplash symptoms. Physiotherapists can apply soft tissue treatment, stretches and joint mobilisation to ease pain and normalise movement.

4. Be mindful

Dealing with the outcome of a whiplash injury can be tough. Sometimes it can leave people feeling anxious, moody, depressed or stressed. It’s a good idea to acknowledge these feelings and recognise them as part of the whiplash process.

Take time to look after yourself with activities you find relaxing, such as taking a warm bath, going for a walk, reading, listening to music, or practising mindfulness or meditation. Activities such as yoga and tai chi have the added benefits of gentle movement and breathwork.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has proven to help reduce long-term symptoms associated with whiplash. Ask your GP for a referral, use NHS Talking Therapies, or find a private practitioner.

5. Address dizziness

One common symptom of whiplash is dizziness, affecting up to one in two people. It’s due to neck strain affecting the receptors that tell the brain where the head is in space, and disruption of the delicate vestibular system.

Feeling unsteady and lightheaded as you move your head can make the exercises and stretches that are so important for recovery difficult to perform.

However, specialist treatment is available to restore the body’s sense of balance and reduce dizziness. Vestibular rehabilitation is an effective way to address the unsteadiness and dizziness caused by whiplash.

Therapists trained in vestibular rehabilitation can assess you and plan treatment to reduce your experience of dizziness, make you feel more stable and allow you to get back to normal activities – including those all-important whiplash exercises!

Physiotherapy treatment at Woodside Clinic

If you think physiotherapy treatment, including vestibular rehabilitation, might be helpful to you, we’d love to hear from you. Book today with one of our qualified therapists.