FAQ

Can you get a whiplash injury in a low speed car accident?
 

We often get asked the question whether it is possible for someone to get a whiplash injury in a low speed car accident. Some times insurance companies balk at paying out on an insurance claim for a whiplash injury when the car accident was described as a fender bender, there were no skid marks or the damage to the vehicles involved is not that substantial. However, one cannot equate the damage to a motor vehicle to a person. Indeed people can and do suffer whiplash injuries which require treatment in low speed car accidents.

One study published on the National Institute of Health web-site showed that biodynamic stresses which cause slight to moderate vehicle damage may be high enough to cause injuries. Low speed car accidents of just a few miles per hour can be severe enough to cause hyperflexion of the cervical spine and even accidents involving bumper cars at an amusement park have been known to cause whiplash injury.

One should never let an insurance company say that a person is not injured by looking at the physical evidence on a vehicle. A diagnosis by a qualified physician based on standards of orthopedic neurological testing should be sufficient.

Are males and females at equal risk of injury?

Yes.  Statistics show that females are more prone to a whiplash injury as a result of a rear end collison than males. 

Many theories exist to why this is true.  The most common belief among the medical community is that the muscles, ligaments, and bones of the neck in males are stronger, and resist the change in momentum better than females. 

How long to recover from whiplash?

Studies have proven that 45% of the victims remained symptomatic at 12 weeks and 25% remained symptomatic at 6 months. Even the most minor cases needed at least 8 weeks to recover. The time needed to stabilize in the more severe cases took 17 weeks. THUS: The written (and often declared) notion that “Whiplash Injuries Heal In 6 To 8 Weeks” is just not true !

It is impossible to determine how much time one needs to heal. People are as unique as the car they drive and the accident they encounter. We all heal at different rates!

The most important decision you can make is to seek treatment. What may seem like minor pain in the days or weeks after an accident can become major pain later.

*It is important to note that 45% of persons with chronic neck pain attribute the pain to a past Motor Vehicle accident.

Get the appropriate care immediately while you can still demonstrate the accident as the cause.

What is the best treatment for whiplash?

Whiplash causes injury to soft tissues of the spine by rapid acceleration, and deceleration of the head in regard to the torso.

The only treatment method that addresses all of the injured soft tissues (cervical muscles, nerves and ligaments) is chiropractic care.   

A study published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Medicine  points out the superiority of chiropractic care for chronic whiplash patients, and also examines which chronic whiplash patients respond best to chiropractic care. 

A different study published in Injury found improvement in chronic whiplash symptoms in 26 of 28 patients (93%) following chiropractic treatment. 

The success of chiropractic care in the treatment of whiplash is due to the fact that the focus of care is to restore proper biomechnics of the spine, rather than focusing on diminishing pain from poor biomechanics.

There was no damage to my car, could I still be injuried?

Cars can often withstand a rear-end collision at speeds of 10 mph or more without sustaining damage, while research shows that whiplash injury can occur at speeds as low as 3 mph.

Older vehicles often suffer greater impacts but show less damage, than new cars. Just because a vehicle shows little or no damage to the bumper does not mean the driver or other occupants did not suffer an injury.

Within this range of approximately 3-10 mph, when there is NO DAMAGE to the vehicle, 100% of the force from the impact is translated through the occupant in the car that is struck.   The reason is that the zero energy is used up in crushing parts, and bending materials of the car.