Los Angeles Injury Lawyer Blog

Whiplash, also commonly known as neck sprain or neck strain, is neck pain and stiffness experienced after a sudden or strenuous injury to your neck. Whiplash occurs during motor vehicle accidents, slips or falls, assaults or sporting activities. Wiplash sustained from a car accident usually happens when the victim is struck from behind. Annually, 120,000 people in the U.S. suffer whiplash.

Whiplash is caused by your head being forced back or forward suddenly, then snapped back to the other direction. This abrupt movement results in sprains (tears or stretches) in the soft tissue of your neck muscles and ligaments. Whiplash can also damage nerves, and in rare cases, it can even cause broken bones. Your doctors may refer to whiplash as cervical strain, cervical sprain, or hyperextension injury. In this blog, we will discuss Part I of Whiplash, including: Whiplash Causes and Symptoms. Come back for tomorrow’s blog which will cover Part II: Whiplash and Neck Sprain Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention.

Whiplash Causes

• Car Accidents: The speed of the car does not necessarily affect the probability of suffering whiplash in an auto accident. Being struck by a speed as low as 15mph can result in whiplash, even if you are wearing a seat belt.


• Chronic Neck Strain or Repetitive Stress Injury from work or activities involving consistent neck and head stress (i.e. holding the phone with your neck).


• A Sudden Blow to the Head resulting from a fall, a falling object or an assault


• Sports Injuries, especially from rough or contact sports.

Whiplash Symptoms
Following is a list of neck sprain symptoms. You may have no symptoms immediately after your accident or injury, but feel pain hours or up to a day later. Whiplash symptoms may also fade away only to come back days later. The more quickly your symptoms develop after your injury, the larger the chance of serious damage.

• Neck pain


• Neck stiffness


• Neck swelling


• Muscle spasms in the back or side of the neck


• Shooting pain from your neck to your shoulder or arm


• Pain or stiffness in the arms, shoulders, chest or head


• Back pain or tenderness


• Dizziness and headaches

The following symptoms could mean your wiplash injury is more serious:

• Severe neck pain or stiffness (inability to move your head)


• Leg, arm or hand weakness


• Tingling or numbness your legs, arms, chest or hands


• Pain that returns after disappearing for a few days


• Pain going down one or both of your arms

If you or a loved one have suffered whiplash due to an accident or on the job injury, you should to speak with an attorney. If you are in located in California, call the Law Offices of Greenberg & Rudman LLP for a free and confidential consultation at 1-800-ALAWPRO (1-800-252-9776). We are experienced, know you rights and we can help.

Photo by:Martin Kingsley