After recent reports from the Association of British Insurers regarding the high number of whiplash compensation cases in the UK, The Sun newspaper has reported that making a claim after a car accident can actually worsen your neck injury symptoms.
Dr Keith Hopcroft writes in his column that, "The form-filling and hassle of the compensation process is stressful and this increases the muscle tension in your neck.
"Also, it repeatedly reminds you of your pain, so you're constantly focusing on it. Which isn't a prescription for rapid recovery."
He also suggests that you should avoid using neck support collars. He states that they delay recovery and the best cure for whiplash induced neck pain is to take painkillers and keep your neck moving.
Dr Hopcroft blames the "something for nothing" culture for increasing whiplash compensation figures with a condition supposedly dubbed "compensationitis" by the medical profession, but does acknowledge that its level of culpability in the aggravation of whiplash is unproven.
*A replacement vehicle can usually be supplied within 4-6 working hours, where there is an admission of liability from the other person’s insurance company. If this person is not known, their insurance details are not known, they are uninsured or there is a potential dispute over who caused the accident, a replacement vehicle cannot be provided.
