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Pain may continue for weeks after a whiplash injury

Pain in the neck, shoulders and other areas of the back are the most common and obvious symptoms of whiplash injury, especially when it has resulted from a car crash and, unfortunately, it seems that the sooner pain starts after an accident, the longer it is likely to persist.

Usually, the pain following a whiplash injury is dull and aching with any movement creating a sharper pain. There is also stiffness in the muscles which leads to the sufferer being reluctant to move the head and shoulders.

Often, the pain will spread down the shoulders and upper back between the shoulder blades and there is a 'chicken-and-egg' situation where moving is painful but lack of mobility slows down recovery from the injury.

In some cases, pain can continue for weeks or months with chronic pain relating to whiplash arising from a number of sources.

Pain has a number of recognised definitions. These include:

  • General somatic pain (pain from the outer body), which affects skin and muscles and can get better quite quickly with simple pain-relieving drugs such as ibuprofen or paracetamol, but, if it continues, it may need treating with an opium-related drug, such as codeine or morphine;

  • Muscle spasm (muscle cramps), which can cause severe pain especially in the back. Pain medication alone may not be able to cure the pain. Muscle relaxants such as baclofen may be needed to relax the muscles;

  • Peripheral neuropathy (pain arising in the nerves leading from the head, face, trunk or extremities to the spinal cord). In a sense, all pain comes from nerves because nerves transmit painful impulses to the brain. But some painful impulses do not arise from the nerve endings that normally sense injury or illness, they can come from irritation to the nerve along its length instead of at the nerve ending, including ruptured discs in the spine.

  • Nerve pain can feel like a painful "pins and needles" sensation. This kind of nerve pain can be treated with tricyclic antidepressants. Other, more severe nerve pain can be described as a sharp, stabbing, electric feeling. Anti-convulsants (medicines that treat seizures) are used for this kind of nerve pain

Many doctors' surgeries, health centres and hospitals are beginning to realise the debilitating effects of continuous pain on a patient's overall health and wellbeing and have set up pain clinics to help people cope and if a whiplash injury sufferer is seeking further relief of their symptoms, they should ask for a referral to such a clinic.

YouClaim solicitor for whiplash injury

If you or a loved are in pain after a road traffic accident, which is preventing you from resuming normal life, you may be entitled to an increased compensation payment if the accident was not your fault.

Here at YouClaim we handle hundreds of enquiries from whiplash injury victims every year and have helped achieve justified damages for many of them.

Wherever you live in the UK, you will receive the same high standard of service from us and, in most cases, we are able to use the no win no fee system, meaning that you will receive every penny of compensation won for you without deduction.

To find out how we can help with whiplash injury claims, you can speak to a member of our personal injury legal team by telephoning 0800 10 757 95 or contact us through this webpage and we'll get back to you.

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