When it comes to injuries sustained to your head and neck, understanding the differences is vital to ensuring you receive the correct care. For example, when you’re the victim of a car accident or slip-and-fall, you may endure an injury to your neck or head. Understanding the differences between whiplash and concussions is essential to ensuring your health and well-being. To learn more, you’ll want to contact a Los Angeles, California personal injury lawyer to help you recover the compensation you deserve.
How Do Whiplash and Concussions Happen?
To understand the differences between these two injuries, it’s essential to understand the various ways in which they happen. When you are hit in a car crash or hit your head during a slip and fall, you can sustain injury to your head and neck.
A concussion occurs following a violent jolt or blow to the head, which can cause the brain to collide with the inside of the skull. Concussions are a mild form of traumatic brain injury and can lead to severe damage when left untreated. Generally, these occur during contact sports, but most adults will experience them when they are involved in accidents.
Whiplash, on the other hand, occurs when the neck moves back and forth in a violent motion that resembles the cracking of a whip. This most commonly occurs when someone is hit from behind in a rear-end collision, causing their head to whip forward and backward.
What Are the Different Symptoms One Can Expect?
When you are hurt, understanding the different symptoms of each injury can help you understand and receive the proper treatment that you should consider. Though some similarities between the two do exist, these are different injuries. This also means that you may sustain both injuries at the same time.
Common symptoms of whiplash include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Neck pain and tenderness
- Neck stiffness
- Tingling sensation in the shoulder or arms
- Dizziness
- Headache, starting at the base of the skull
On the other hand, a concussion can appear as:
- Headache
- Nausea
- Light sensitivity
- Poor balance
- Fatigue
- Irritability
- Mild memory loss
What Should I Do if I Sustain One of These Injuries in an Accident?
If you are involved in an accident, understanding how to proceed through this is essential. The most important thing you must do is seek medical treatment for any damage to your head or neck, as these can be some of the most dangerous injuries.
Once you have received the proper medical treatment you should consider reaching out to an experienced personal injury attorney if the accident was caused by another party’s negligence. You may not know, but you are entitled to financial compensation for the medical bills and loss of income you’ve incurred as a result of your injuries.
When you’re hurt, we can help. Contact LA Legal Solutions to learn how our dedicated legal team will fight for the compensation you deserve.
