What Is Whiplash Associated Disorder and How to Prevent and/or Manage it?

Whiplash is often thought of after a minor car accident when one’s head is whipped back and forth suddenly from the impact. However, whiplash can occur from several other incidents including contact sports, physical abuse, and severe falls. Furthermore, whiplash associated disorder (WAD) can develop years after the initial impact.

WAD can cause a lot of pain and discomfort and disrupt your daily life in many ways. The good news is that it is a manageable condition with the right help from a medical professional. 

Here is all you need to know about this condition and the steps you can take to prevent problems later on or to ease the discomfort or pain you are currently experiencing.

What Is Whiplash?

Whiplash happens when the neck and head are suddenly forced backwards and then forwards. This sudden, severe movement causes the muscles and ligaments in your neck to extend beyond their usual range of motion. 

The sudden force out of the usual realm of motion places extreme stress on the soft tissues in the neck. The soft tissues also stretch and sometimes tear from the sudden force.

Whiplash most commonly happens when you are in a car accident where the car behind rear-ends you. However, this condition can also occur from other incidents. The effects of whiplash can occur suddenly and you will feel pain in your neck and head. 

In other cases, the effects of whiplash can appear years later, which is known as whiplash associated disorder. This disorder can cause pain and discomfort in many ways.

What Causes Whiplash?

Whiplash can be caused by many different incidents and the severity of the incident will determine how severe the effects are. The common causes of whiplash include the following.

• Car accidents: Whiplash is most commonly caused by a car accident in which a car rear-ends your car. The excessive force from behind causes a sudden neck and head movement that hurts your soft tissues in this region.
• Contact sports: Sports that involve excessive contact such as rugby, boxing, or MMA can cause whiplash from a heavy tackle or blow to the head. Any movement that causes the sudden whipping of your head in these sports can result in whiplash.
• Blows to the head: Any type of blow to the head can cause whiplash, especially when the knock is unexpected. These unexpected knocks hurt the neck and head because you don’t have time to prepare yourself.
• Physical abuse or assault: Physical abuse can result in a knock to the head as above. However, physical abuse can also involve violent shaking which creates the whiplash effect. Abuse can also result in dangerous falls.
• Falls: When you experience a sudden fall where your head jerks back violently, you may experience whiplash from the movement.

The Symptoms of Whiplash

The symptoms of whiplash may be acute, in which case you will experience a sudden onset of symptoms immediately following the incident. More often the symptoms appear later on, within 24 hours of when the incident occurred. In other cases, symptoms can appear two years or more after the incident, and this is when it becomes a disorder.

Common symptoms of whiplash that occur anytime after the incident including years later are:

• Headaches — often at the base of the skull
• Neck pain and stiffness
• Loss of range in neck motions
• Tiredness
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Blurred vision
• Inability to sleep well
• Memory problems
• Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
• Irritability

When to Seek Urgent Medical Attention

It is recommended that you always seek medical attention immediately following an incident or suspected incident of whiplash. However, it is especially important to seek urgent medical attention if you experience the following.

• Severe neck pain
• Localized weakness in a leg or arm
• Loss of bladder or bowel control
• Numbness or tingling in your shoulders, arms, or legs
• Stiffness in the neck that goes away and then comes back

Possible Long-Term Complications

Long-term complications include the possibility of developing a whiplash associated disorder. This happens when the symptoms of whiplash present later on after two years following the incident.

WAD can be acute where patients fully recover from the injury, or it can progress to a chronic condition later on with long-term pain or disability. The chronic disorder is highly complex and can occur for multiple reasons and should be diagnosed by a medical professional.

Symptoms and treatment of WAD are the same as whiplash and the only difference is that the symptoms usually appear years after the incident. Treatment should be conducted by a medical professional and early treatment after a whiplash incident is important to prevent or minimise the long-term effects.

Treatment for Whiplash

Any type of whiplash should be treated as soon as possible, even if no symptoms are immediately present following the incident. Avoiding early treatment increases the likelihood of developing a disorder later on. 

All treatment for whiplash should be overseen by a medical professional to determine the severity and the correct treatment methods.

Medical Treatment

Medical treatment will be prescribed by your doctor and includes the following medications:

• Over-the-counter (OTC) medication
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
• Muscle relaxants

Non-pharmaceutical Methods

Depending on the severity of the whiplash, a medical professional may suggest certain non-pharmaceutical methods to ease the pain and discomfort. These methods are important to lessen the chance of experiencing whiplash associated disorder later on.

A physiotherapist can assist in the following treatment solutions:

• Apply ice and/or heat
• Improve your posture
• Head and neck exercises
• Massage therapy
• Relaxation techniques
• Movement within tolerable range — this must be advised by a medical professional 
• Neck collar — in severe cases this can be recommended for short term use

Long-term use of a neck collar may result in dependency on the collar which essentially weakens your neck muscles. In the case of short-term use of a neck collar, you will need to be weaned off the support apparatus.

How to Prevent Whiplash

Whiplash is difficult to prevent because of the unexpected nature in which whiplash usually occurs. However, general safety protective gear should be worn in certain situations, such as when playing contact sport.

It is also possible to strengthen your neck muscles to better prepare them for sudden whiplash. This is usually only necessary when you are often in high-risk situations such as competitive racing or playing contact sports professionally.

Final Thoughts

Whiplash can happen to anyone and it is hard to prevent this occurrence. However, following the right treatment plan, especially the non-pharmaceutical interventions with the help of a physiotherapist will reduce the chances of experiencing long-term effects.

Whether you suspect you have recently experienced whiplash or are feeling symptoms of WAD years after the impact, contact your healthcare provider today to find out possible treatment options for you.