What actually is whiplash?
What actually is whiplash?
Author
Discussion

dxg

Original Poster:

10,712 posts

289 months

Saturday 20th August 2016
quotequote all
Does anyone know what makes whiplash, whiplash rather than just a sore neck?

In short, yesterday I had the good fortune to be hit up the backside while I was stationary waiting to pull out of a junction.

Felt fine, but the sore neck started to come on last night. Didn't actually connect it with the crash until this morning when I woke up to it being really sore!

I had always thought this was a bit of a scam. It just feels like a cross between a badly pulled muscle (one of the two big ones down the front) and the day after a good day at the gym. I've still got full movement. Just discomfort and I'm getting about my day fine. In fact, I'm just heading out to the gym now.

So, I'm not asking for a diagnosis, but does this sound like whiplash? Is whiplash more severe, something that lasts a long time perhaps? I mean, what actually is it?

I am morally against ambulance chasers, but I have been injured through the act of another. Yet, although it's causing me discomfort, it's not exactly impacting on my quality of life.

To add to the mix, my car is modified and is consequently insured through a broker. It now turns out that they don't handle claims and neither does the underwriter. Instead everything is palmed off to a hitherto unknown accident management company.

I just want the problem to go away and my car fixed or fairly paid for. I don't want to be pushed down anything that may be morally iffy on the whiplash (if it is that) side of things and now that a management company is involved...

Any thoughts would be welcomed.

Some Gump

13,018 posts

215 months

Saturday 20th August 2016
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It's an income source for proles.

Steve H

7,524 posts

224 months

Saturday 20th August 2016
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Yes, you have whiplash. Yes, you will probably survive. No, you don't need compensation for it but probably could get some if you choose.

The only strong argument for claiming (IMO) is that when it comes to getting your car repaired/replaced to the same standard that you had before, you will very likely find that the insurance companies will be a total pain in the arse to deal with and will happily leave you out of pocket even if you are sensible about not chasing additional "compo".

200Plus Club

13,479 posts

307 months

Saturday 20th August 2016
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I once wrote off my own car and banged myself up pretty hard. Adrenalin I think covered up the whiplash but 2 or 3 days later I had a terribly sore stiff neck and back pain, was difficult to move around. Lasted a week or two at most and was very uncomfortable. I ended up suing myself for gross stupidity:-)

Monkeylegend

29,155 posts

260 months

Saturday 20th August 2016
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I just googled whiplash and it gives a very precise explanation/definition. Hopefully that helps you make you mind up re claiming or not.


Krikkit

27,938 posts

210 months

Saturday 20th August 2016
quotequote all
Like most things like this, it's variable - think of it like spraining an ankle. Sometimes it will be easily healed and tender for a few days, other times you will be sore for a long time.

I had a crash in 2013 and had some whiplash - although most of the soreness was gone in a couple of days, I ended up with some nasty neck twinges in cold weather/twisting my head at certain angles which was really unpleasant. I wish I'd pursued some compo at the time, as the insurance companies completely stiffed me for the value of the car which was written off!

Monkeylegend

29,155 posts

260 months

Saturday 20th August 2016
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Krikkit said:
as the insurance companies completely stiffed me
That was the whiplash.

HD Adam

5,155 posts

213 months

Saturday 20th August 2016
quotequote all
Back in the day, I used to do banger racing & destruction derbies.

3 races and a DD meant that your were probably in the equivalent of a dozen or so car crashes and wearing a full face helmet just makes your head heavier.

We lived in a permanent state of whiplash and bruising from the harnesses during the summer race season. No long term harm.

shost

879 posts

172 months

Saturday 20th August 2016
quotequote all
To answer the question. The mechanism that caused it is a "whiplash" injury. You are quite right that it will feel like a gym injury/overuse.

It would be described as neck muscle/tendon strain by a medic. Whiplash by a claim seeking troll.

Treat yourself much as you would any musculoskeletal injury



CS Garth

2,873 posts

134 months

Saturday 20th August 2016
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Whiplash is "the act of self defining an over stated injury in order to seek monies to fund your new kitchen/holiday in Marbella".

CS Garth

2,873 posts

134 months

Saturday 20th August 2016
quotequote all
HD Adam said:
Back in the day, I used to do banger racing & destruction derbies.

3 races and a DD meant that your were probably in the equivalent of a dozen or so car crashes and wearing a full face helmet just makes your head heavier.

We lived in a permanent state of whiplash and bruising from the harnesses during the summer race season. No long term harm.
If you were also paying for PPI whilst racing I'd say you've got a very strong case for a $$$$$$ payout

Monkeylegend

29,155 posts

260 months

Saturday 20th August 2016
quotequote all
dxg said:
Does anyone know what makes whiplash, whiplash rather than just a sore neck?

In short, yesterday I had the good fortune to be hit up the backside while I was stationary waiting to pull out of a junction.

Felt fine, but the sore neck started to come on last night. Didn't actually connect it with the crash until this morning when I woke up to it being really sore!

I had always thought this was a bit of a scam. It just feels like a cross between a badly pulled muscle (one of the two big ones down the front) and the day after a good day at the gym. I've still got full movement. Just discomfort and I'm getting about my day fine. In fact, I'm just heading out to the gym now.

So, I'm not asking for a diagnosis, but does this sound like whiplash? Is whiplash more severe, something that lasts a long time perhaps? I mean, what actually is it?

I am morally against ambulance chasers, but I have been injured through the act of another. Yet, although it's causing me discomfort, it's not exactly impacting on my quality of life.

To add to the mix, my car is modified and is consequently insured through a broker. It now turns out that they don't handle claims and neither does the underwriter. Instead everything is palmed off to a hitherto unknown accident management company.

I just want the problem to go away and my car fixed or fairly paid for. I don't want to be pushed down anything that may be morally iffy on the whiplash (if it is that) side of things and now that a management company is involved...

Any thoughts would be welcomed.
You don't need to, just politely decline their attempts to get you to claim.

Collectingbrass

2,954 posts

224 months

Saturday 20th August 2016
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Is the pain the neck & collar bone area or across the chest? If it's across the chest you just have bruising from the seatbelt holding you back. If it's the neck and collar bone area you probably have whiplash but from what you've said the energy in the impact wasnt high enough for it to be significant. What speed was the other car going?

When I got mine I was stationary on the M1 in a SAAB 900, the other vehicle was a Corsa that hit me at around 40mph - the driver simply hadn't been paying attention. The SAAB tank was written off as the chassis was distorted and the HATOs swept up what was left of the Corsa :-D ). I was fine that day but the pain kicked in the next day and my Dr prescribed specific exercises with further physio paid by the insurance and to this day I can't carry an laptop / office bag on that shoulder without discomfort.

CX53

3,025 posts

139 months

Saturday 20th August 2016
quotequote all
My other half got done by one of these crash for cash morons.

Left her neck sore for weeks and struggled to hold/carry much with one of her arms until just recently, and it happened months ago.

motco

17,605 posts

275 months

Saturday 20th August 2016
quotequote all
If your head restraint was adjusted to the correct height you shouldn't get any whiplash from a rear end shunt. It does tend to come on after a day or so if you have it and if someone gets out of their car holding their neck and saying they have whiplash, usually it's a scam. Especially if five more people appear from the same car all holding their necks!

As an aside when did we start calling each and every pain 'sore'. To me sore is when you burn yourself, or graze your skin - it's a surface phenomenon. Ache is what you get in your head after a boozy night, or in your muscles if you exercise, and tender is what a bruise is. Pain is a general strong discomfort internally or the general term for hurting. When you are describing an ailment it is important to use precise terminology.

V12biTurbo

377 posts

134 months

Saturday 20th August 2016
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You don't get out much fella do you?

karona

1,928 posts

215 months

Saturday 20th August 2016
quotequote all
I was diagnosed with 'whiplash' after an accident at work in 1999. I have permanent nerve damage and have been assessed as 14% disabled.
There's no such thing as 'normal' whiplash.

dxg

Original Poster:

10,712 posts

289 months

Saturday 20th August 2016
quotequote all
Well, I'm back from the gym. Ran 5k and it was just as unpleasant as normal. No more, no less.

The pain from this runs down the left side of my neck and into the top of my shoulder. It makes sense, I suppose, as my head was turned watching traffic come from the right when I was hit.

I'm just so pissed off with the whole thing.

Bought the car four years ago for 2k. In PH tradition it was, of course, a mk1 mx5. Completely rust free (I know this because I crawled all over it rust proofing it when I got it), and rising in value. It had not wanted for maintenance, I'd replaced all of the worn-out interior and I'd even replaced the bonnet and bootlid to make it just right. This was my fun, weekend toy. In a rising market, I think it was worth £2.5k. I will no doubt now have to face the other party's insurance company coming up with example after example of £500 snotter.

This - the valuation - is what is making me think I will instruct the accident management guys. They will get an "independent" engineer's report on the extent of the damage and the pre-crash condition of the car.

Oh, and the final insult - I was only driving it in the rush hour because it was on its way to its MOT, which it then passed, with a bent boot floor, bent chassis leg, bent bumper bar, bent towing eye (which bent the chassis leg), a boot lid sitting proud and every bit of plastic on the rear (apart from the light clusters) cracked. I got the following advisory: "nearside rear Vehicle structure has slight damage (6.1.A.1)" - it's only one.

Just so fed up. From some of the long term conditions described above, I don't think it would be right to claim that my pain is whiplash. If I were more unscrupulous, I would get the car written off, and use the whiplash money to get it back on the road as someone suggested above.

I loved that car.

Edited by dxg on Sunday 21st August 16:17


Edited by dxg on Sunday 21st August 16:18

battered

4,088 posts

176 months

Saturday 20th August 2016
quotequote all
karona said:
I was diagnosed with 'whiplash' after an accident at work in 1999. I have permanent nerve damage and have been assessed as 14% disabled.
There's no such thing as 'normal' whiplash.
Exactly this. Also the sprained ankle analogy above. A sprained ankle or knee can be sore for a day or two or it can be disabling for a pro sportsman.

HD Adam

5,155 posts

213 months

Saturday 20th August 2016
quotequote all
CS Garth said:
HD Adam said:
Back in the day, I used to do banger racing & destruction derbies.

3 races and a DD meant that your were probably in the equivalent of a dozen or so car crashes and wearing a full face helmet just makes your head heavier.

We lived in a permanent state of whiplash and bruising from the harnesses during the summer race season. No long term harm.
If you were also paying for PPI whilst racing I'd say you've got a very strong case for a $$$$$$ payout
Unfortunately not.

We spent all the PPI payments on beer instead biggrin