Are you feeling a little dizzy? A whiplash injury can cause head trauma

People feel dizzy all the time and attribute it to a variety of reasons including tiredness, diet, weather and even working too hard. But it can also be connected to a whiplash injury and there are ways to address and treat it.

Although dizziness is often considered to be a "light" symptom, it could also indicate head problems and trauma - 'post-traumatic vertigo' that needs treatment and which should be taken seriously. Sustained dizziness can be a sign of a serious personal injury, in which case a doctor's consultation is essential.

Understanding what dizziness is
Experiencing the sensation of "spinning" and feeling light-headed is often referred to as vertigo. But there are various types of dizziness and vertigo that are medically recognised and connected to a whiplash injury. The main types include:

1. Whiplash injury syndrome: the term "whiplash" is used to describe neck injuries following rear-end collisions. Vertigo in this situation is usually connected to 'cervical vertigo' (below).
   
   
2. Cervical vertigo: imbalance following a neck injury.
   
   
3. Positional vertigo: this is the most common type of severe dizziness and is common after a head injury. It occurs in about 28 % of people with post-traumatic vertigo.
   
   
4. Post-traumatic Meniere's syndrome (also called "hydrops"): this involves episodes of dizziness accompanied by noises in the ear or changes in hearing. Bleeding can take place, and there may be changes in fluid balance in the ear. The presence of this condition may not be immediately obvious.
   
   
5. Concussion: non-persistent involving hearing loss, dizziness and disturbances in the inner ear.
   
   
6. Post-traumatic migraine: dizziness combined with migraine headaches. Common in people with post-traumatic vertigo.
   
   
7. Temporal bone structure and vertigo: dizziness after an injury, with a skull or bone scan indicating a fracture.
   
   
8. Epileptic vertigo: vertigo due to brain injury, usually the part of the temporal lobe processing vestibular signals.

How to treat it
There are medications available through your GP which will decrease the symptoms of dizziness from a whiplash injury, including uncontrollable and erratic eye movements; headaches; vomiting; tinnitus; speech difficulties; deafness; muscular weakness; loss of coordination and loss of consciousness.

Specialist centres also deal specifically with dizziness and balance issues, some of which use a diagnostic tool called "EquiTest", a machine which makes the diagnosis of dizziness and balance problems more precise.

Cawthorne exercises
The Cawthorne exercises are a form of physical therapy designed to decrease symptoms of dizziness and vertigo. Do one set in the morning and one set in the evening, as follows:

1. Sit in a chair. Keep your upper body and head still and move your eyes. Look up, then down, repeating this process 10 times. Look left, then right and repeat this process 10 times.


2. Move your head. Look up, then down and repeat this process 10 times. Rotate your head to the left, then right, repeating this process 10 times.


3. Sit down, and bend forwards from your waist. Repeat this process 10 times. Bend to the left and then the right. Repeat this process 10 times.

Whiplash personal injury compensation
If left untreated, a whiplash injury can affect the entire nervous system and cause serious neurological and physical problems. Dizziness is one sign of the system being out of balance and shows that something needs to be addressed.

If you have whiplash because of a non-fault accident, you may be able to make a personal injury compensation claim through Car Accident Advice Line.

We work on a no win, no fee basis and you won't be asked to pay anything towards the cost of your case. In addition, you'll be able to keep 100% of any compensation that is awarded.

So pick up the phone right now and call 0808 143 43 42 to set your whiplash injury claim in motion.