Nerve damage alongside whiplash neck injury after an accident

While whiplash is often considered to constitute a personal injury to the neck's soft tissues, there are also reports of the condition affecting the body's nerve fibres.

One such is the long thoracic nerve, which runs down the side of the chest. It is an unusual nerve, in that it runs close to the surface of the body, and is often injured by a stretch or direct blow in sports. If a whiplash injury results in damage to this nerve, which is not unusual, it can result in long thoracic nerve palsy and 'winging' of the shoulderblade (where the bone appears to protrude, like a bird's wing).

Another is the spinal accessory nerve, which connects the brain to the trapezius muscle - a large muscle that supports the movement of the upper back. Injury to this nerve can cause palsy, which can lead to diminished muscle mass, partial paralysis, and involuntary twitching.

It is rare to see both nerves damaged together following an event, such as a car accident, that has caused a whiplash neck injury. However, it is not unheard of; a 2007 report from a Blackburn hospital stated that "We report a case where a gentleman was involved in a rear end vehicle collision, sustained a whiplash injury and was later found to have a long thoracic nerve palsy and spinal accessory nerve palsy.

"Although isolated injuries of both nerves following a whiplash injury have been reported, combined injury of the two nerves following a whiplash injury is very uncommon and is being reported for the first time."

Finding the right personal injury solicitor for your whiplash neck injury claim
If you have received a neck injury in some form of accident where the other party has at least a share of the blame, you may be eligible to make a personal injury claim to cover the costs that this has caused you.

You can rely on YouClaim to handle a compensation claim such as this professionally and on a cost-free basis, as all of our no win, no fee lawyers are governed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

Further to this, our no win, no fee agreement is backed up with a promise that you will not have to pay any other fees or disbursements that your compensation claim may demand, and a guarantee that our fee will be charged to the other side in a won case.

This means you can take advantage of our remarkably high success rate on a cost-free basis, and expect 100 percent compensation should you win.

You can reach our expert whiplash advisors through live echat or our UK hotline, 0800 10 757 95; alternatively, you can use our claim form to supply us with details of your compensation claim, and a time when it is best for us to call you. Either way, we look forward to helping your neck injury claim to its best chance of success.