Soft Tissue Whiplash Neck Injury

Perhaps no other injury is as commonly misunderstood by personal injury lawyers and insurance companies in Michigan than soft tissue or “whiplash” neck injuries.

A whiplash neck injury occurs as a result of a sudden backward and forward "whipping" movement of the neck - thus, the term whiplash. This movement stretches or sprains the ligaments and muscles which hold the spinal segments of your neck. Failure of the holding ligaments to support the spine allows the spinal segments to become displaced and for soft tissue injuries to occur.

Here is a common personal injury illustration from a car or truck accident:

As a person sits in his car, the trunk of his body is closely associated with the seat. However, his head and neck are generally not supported and act as a free body. When another car hits the rear of his car, his car is thrown forward with rapid acceleration and the trunk of his body gets thrust forward, causing a sudden backward jerking of his head (whiplash).

The unsupported head and neck do not accelerate as quickly as the body does. Therefore, the head and neck go into extension, which can cause compression on some elements of the cervical spine and tension on other elements of the spine. It can also cause soft tissue neck injury to a number of structures, in addition to the discs.

As the car slows down, the trunk of the body which is still attached to the seat slows down as well; however, the head and neck continue to accelerate forward. The head and neck do not stop at the same time as the trunk of the body does and, therefore, a flexion whiplash neck injury is caused to the cervical spine.

Whiplash is very common personal injury that is caused by car accidents because your head and neck go unsupported and do not accelerate as quickly as the body does. Almost every person involved in a moving vehicle accident suffers whiplash and soft tissue injury to some degree. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 84% of all neck injuries are classified as soft tissue injuries.

Many Michigan personal injury attorneys or law firms mistakenly believe these cases are not serious enough to pass Michigan’s threshold law and bring a personal injury lawsuit for pain and suffering. The truth is that over 1,000,000 people are exposed to whiplash injury in the U.S. every year. Approximately 25% of these cases result in chronic pain and disability. One in seven whiplash patients still has significant pain after more than 3 years; the average is 8 years.

Whiplash can be deadly. If it is severe enough, it can damage the brain stem and cause death. It is believed that most people on TWA Flight 800 were killed instantly by phenomenal whiplash, not in the fireball or crash.

Although Michigan vehicular accidents are the most common cause of whiplash, a blow to the head, face, or chin, uncontrollable episodes of coughing or falls can also cause soft tissue whiplash neck injuries.

The effects of whiplash may not be felt immediately following an auto accident and may go undiagnosed. It can take a few days before the pain will become present and movement is limited. At this time, the neck is stiff with inflammation and spasms are occurring. Pain can also be felt in the shoulders and arms. Tingling of the fingers and headaches are common complaints with soft tissue whiplash neck injuries.

These are serious and sometimes permanent injuries. The personal injury lawyers at Michigan Auto law understand this, and have achieved the top settlements and verdicts for these cases year after year.