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Whiplash is a medical condition that occurs most frequently after a road traffic accident. The onset of whiplash arises when the soft tissue in the spine is stretched and strained after the body is thrown in a sudden and forceful jerk.

Whiplash is an example of a condition that is hard to diagnose. This is because there are no tests that can done to confirm that you are suffering; you can't have a blood test or an x-ray that will show that the soft tissue has been stretched; so how is whiplash diagnosed? Whiplash is identified by a doctor assessing the background of the injury and by you describing the symptoms that you are suffering from; however a doctor or hospital should be altered if a patient experiences memory loss or has periods of unconsciousness after being involved in an accident that has left them suffering from whiplash. Also if a person starts to experience pains in the back of the head, pins and needles in the shoulders and arms or notices a sensation of heaviness in the arms. If you are suffering from whiplash and start to experience any of these things it is highly important that you go and see your doctor or go to the hospital.

The most common complaints that occur surrounding headaches and stiffness in the neck as well as the back of the head. The symptoms that occur usually appear within the first couple of days after the accidents and they usually pass after a few days or weeks. To aid your recovery and to prevent your injury getting worse you should try and apply an ice pack to your neck within the first 24 hours of the accident happening. This will help to reduce the inflammation. It is also advised that you try and keep active as movement will help to stop your neck from becoming stiff and it will help you return to your normal routine quicker; however you are advised to avoid certain physical activities that may aggravate the injury. People who stay active and exercise their necks, despite the pain, usually recover more quickly.

If you are in a line of slow moving traffic and you are hit from behind you can't possibly get whiplash, right? Wrong, it doesn't matter how fast or slow you were travelling when an accident occurred. Whiplash can occur even if your car was only travelling a few miles per hour. Many people only associate whiplash with vehicles that were travelling at high speed when in fact whiplash injuries are caused quite frequently by vehicles that are travelling at low speeds.

If you have suffered whiplash after a road traffic accident that was caused through no fault of your own then you could put in a claim for compensation. You should be warned however that whiplash cases are sometimes hard to win, which is why it is important that you speak to a personal injury solicitor who will asses your case to see if you are entitled to put in a claim for compensation.