Whiplash injuries can occur in low-velocity collisions and rear-enders as well as in serious accidents. How badly you’re injured will depend in part on whether you tensed up for your accident or were relaxed; what kind of car you were in; where (and how) you were sitting; the position of your head and neck; whether your seatbelt and headrest were properly adjusted; and the angle and speed of the impact. The length of your neck and the weight of your head - as well as your age and whether you’ve had a similar injury in the past or have structural problems in your neck - can also affect whether you get a whiplash injury and, if so, how severe it is.

When your head and neck are violently jerked, the muscles and ligaments that support your head and spine can overstretch or tear; the nerve roots in your neck can stretch and become irritated; your spinal discs can bulge, tear or rupture; and your vertebrae can move out of normal position. These conditions are known as whiplash. If your muscles or ligaments were torn, your injury will be more severe than if they were just stretched.

After a whiplash injury, your neck and shoulders may be stiff, and you may have painful muscle spasms, lower back pain, face or jaw pain, and headaches. This may be accompanied by numbness, tingling or pain in your limbs, difficulty swallowing, dizziness, nausea, blurred vision, or ringing in your ears. If you experience these symptoms after an auto accident, you should be examined by a doctor as soon as possible. Unless you get early treatment for a whiplash injury, prolonged inflammation can produce scar tissue, leading to chronic pain, on-going symptoms, and in some case, permanent disability. Your doctor may tell you to avoid certain activities. She may also prescribe muscle relaxants and give you exercises to do. You may be referred to a physiotherapist or chiropractor for treatment.

ICBC and other insurers tend to be suspicious of whiplash and other soft tissue injuries. Unless objective evidence of your injury is documented in your medical records – including decreased range of motion, muscle spasms or swelling - you may have to take legal action to get accident benefits or compensation. While physiotherapists and massage therapists are usually better than family doctors at recognizing whiplash and other soft tissue injuries, for legal-insurance purposes you should initially be assessed by a medical doctor or chiropractor. Both ICBC and the courts place greater weight on the opinions of doctors.

Whiplash is considered a subjective condition because it’s diagnosed primarily by what you tell your doctor, not what she observes. Proving an auto accident caused a subjective condition can be time-consuming, frustrating and expensive, so it’s important to learn all you can about how to deal effectively with the medical-legal-insurance system.