Mark Benson
Unfortunately, many people in the UK will suffer whiplash injuries often as a consequence of a road traffic accident. In some cases, this can be discounted as “aches and pains” when in fact it can be serious soft tissue damage as there is no simple treatment for whiplash injuries, the road to recovery maybe a little longer than you might expect.
You should not attempt any whiplash exercises without first speaking to your doctor. Simple neck exercises, such as side-to-side head rotation, can aid recovery, but you should stop if you feel any pain.
While whiplash injuries are relatively common, as a consequence of sudden jerk movements forward and backwards, they can be very tricky to treat.
In some cases, the only real treatment is pain reduction as the body’s natural healing process begins.
However, as the injury slowly improves, there are exercises you can do.
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Whether your whiplash symptoms emerge within 24 was, days or weeks later, when they do emerge, they can be extremely painful. At this point, it is important to seek medical attention so that you can be diagnosed, potentially opening up the route to compensation.
However, it is not advisable to exercise when suffering from whiplash with prescribed pain medications, often the first initial course of action.
While people generally tend to associate whiplash with neck injuries, it can impact many other parts of your body. The full list of whiplash symptoms includes:-
The majority of pain will come from soft tissue damage such as discs, muscles and ligaments, which are difficult if not impossible treat. Indeed, it may take a CT scan/MRI as opposed to a traditional x-ray to formally diagnose whiplash.
As we touched on above, prescribed pain relief would probably be the first action recommended by your doctor. Then, depending upon the degree of your injuries, additional action might include:-
There is no one size fits all solution when it comes to treating whiplash injuries because the pain and extent of suffering can vary significantly.
While the vast majority of whiplash injuries will heal in just a matter of days, some can last weeks, months or even years. Unfortunately, a relatively small number of whiplash injuries could be permanent.
So, before attempting any whiplash exercises, it is very important to seek the guidance of your doctor. While you may feel as if you are “improving the situation” there is a chance that you could be making your injury worse by exercising.
As the vast majority of whiplash injuries tend to be centred around the neck, as you are improving, there may be opportunities to carry out light neck exercises. This may include side to side head rotation in a seated position and movement of your chin towards your left and right shoulders.
If you feel any type of pain during these, or any other exercises, it is important that you stop immediately. We cannot reiterate enough that you will need to take medical guidance when undertaking any form of exercise after a whiplash injury.
Yes. If you have been involved in an accident and received a whiplash injury as a consequence of negligence, then you may well be able to pursue compensation. However, first of all, you will need to gather as much evidence as possible to prove negligence.
While it would depend upon the scenario, the more evidence you have to prove negligence, the more chance of a successful claim. Typical evidence when pursuing a whiplash claim would include:-
Once you have put together your evidence, it is time to approach a claims management company to review your claim.
Whiplash claims are fairly common; therefore, the majority of claims management companies in the UK will have experience in this area. Whether using a recommendation from a friend or simply searching on the Internet, you will find many claims management companies willing to discuss your case.
They will review your evidence, making observations and recommendations, and give you an independent assessment of your chances of success. If they believe you have a minimum 60% chance of success, they will likely offer you a “no win no fee” arrangement to pursue your claim.
As the term suggests, this is a means by which the claims management company will take on your case while shielding you from their expenses. This is the reason why they have a relatively high bar of success so that they stand a higher than average chance of securing a prosecution.
While your claims management company will likely be able to reclaim their expenses from the defendant, in light of a successful case, they will also discuss a “success fee”.
In exchange for taking on your claim on a “no win no fee” arrangement, your advisers would request an average 25% of any compensation awarded.
If your claim was unsuccessful under the “no win no fee” structure, then your claims advisor would need to cover their own costs. So, in order to balance the risk/reward ratio, they will request a share of your compensation in exchange for taking on the risks associated with your case.
Initially, many people may look to pursue their own compensation claims without the assistance of a claims management company. Unfortunately, many of these claims fall flat due to a lack of knowledge regarding the UK legal system and the information required.
As a consequence, more people are now using the services of claims management companies to pursue their compensation claims.
While whiplash is often dismissed as “aches and pains” it can be extremely painful and difficult to treat. So, if you are feeling pain in your neck, back, arms or hands in the aftermath of an accident, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible.
In the event that you have received whiplash injuries as a consequence of negligence, then you may be entitled to seek compensation.
Here at Money Savings Advice, we have partnered with some of the UK’s leading Personal Injury Claims management companies. They have already helped thousands of people claim compensation for injuries they have incurred, and they can do the same for you.
Choosing an independent claims management company means they won’t proceed with a claim unless they are sure it is in your best interests. They are also regulated by the FCA, which gives you an additional layer of protection.
If you would like to speak to one of these claim management companies who can help you make a compensation claim, then click on the below and answer the very simple questions.
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