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Whiplash after a rear-end collision
Whiplash is a soft-tissue injury to the neck caused by rapid back-and-forth movement of the head. It happens most often in rear-end collisions, and it happens at speeds far lower than most people expect. A collision under 15 mph is enough.
Most whiplash symptoms do not appear at the scene. If you felt fine at the crash and worse two days later, that is the normal presentation, not a sign you are imagining it.
Why symptoms are delayed
Adrenaline and cortisol released during a collision suppress pain signaling for hours. As those levels fall and inflammation in the strained tissue develops, symptoms surface. That timeline is well documented, and it is the single most common reason people delay seeking care.
Common symptoms in the first 72 hours include:
- Neck stiffness and reduced range of motion
- Headache, most often starting at the base of the skull
- Pain or tingling radiating into the shoulders or arms
- Difficulty sleeping, or waking from neck pain
- Trouble concentrating, or a sense of mental fog
What it means for your claim
Insurers evaluate soft-tissue claims largely on the documentation record: when treatment started, how consistently it continued, and how well functional limitations were recorded. A clean record does not exaggerate your injury; it simply prevents your injury from being undervalued.
