Whiplash in sport - a look at how different sports can cause whiplash

It’s not only when commuting to work or out for a quiet Sunday afternoon drive that whiplash is a risk, but it is a possibility in everyday life too. An awkward fall at the supermarket or a slip on some icy steps could easily result in a trip to the doctors and a whiplash diagnosis, but it is in the world of sport that whiplash regularly rears its ugly head.

Contact sports

Rugby, understandably, sees a fair number of whiplash injuries, often caused by unexpected tackles that result in hyperflexion. (Take a look at ‘What is Whiplash?’ for more information). Whiplash-type injuries are also a possibility for hookers and forwards if the scrum happens to collapse, and for locks if their legs are taken from under them during a lineout. In fact, 5% of all injuries sustained in playing rugby affect the neck.

Boxing is a naturally aggressive and combative sport that involves numerous blows to the head and its safety is an issue never far from the news. There have been countless calls to ban the sport and the issue causes fervent debate from those for and against it. Fighters competing in the sport are usually at optimum levels of health and fitness, yet constant punches to the head, especially an unexpected uppercut, can, and sometimes do, result in whiplash.

Non-contact sports

Hard-hitting contact sports are not the only sports that are responsible for whiplash injuries, and many other pursuits that may initially seem relatively free from hazards actually pose the participant a reasonably high degree of risk. Diving sees hundreds of people suffer whiplash every year, as does horse riding and gymnastics, but the sport that causes the highest number of whiplash injuries is probably motor racing.

Motor racing

By its very nature, car accidents are obviously a regular occurrence in the world of motor sport, and whiplash has been a common feature for drivers for many years. Everybody participating, ranging from the banger racers chugging around dusty trucks in front of a few hundred spectators, to the Formula One (www.formula1.com) drivers showing off their skills in front of TV audiences of millions, has a very high risk of suffering a whiplash injury in the event of a crash.

This has traditionally been accepted as part and parcel of the job, but recent years have seen an investment in methods to prevent drivers being injured. Protection from whiplash remains fairly rudimentary, or even non-existent, at the grass roots level, but at the top end of the sport the latest technology is used to safeguard the drivers.

The tremendous speeds reached by Formula One drivers and the tight turns and harsh braking that they require expose the drivers to a massive risk of whiplash. Safety experts spent huge amounts of time and money trying to devise a system that would protect the driver yet not restrict his movement during the race.

The HANS system

The HANS (Head and Neck Support) system was invented in the mid 1980s and, after proving itself among other motor racing disciplines, became mandatory for all Formula One cars in 2003. It was created by Robert Hubbard, an American biomechanical engineering professor, and consists of a carbon fibre collar which is attached to the car using the safety harness, before then being secured to the driver’s helmet.

The result is a protection system that allows free movement of the head, but in the event of a car crash will prevent the excessive jerking that causes whiplash and absorb the terrific energy that is created. Some drivers initially complained that HANS was uncomfortable but the majority of scepticism has now declined upon realisation that it is a system which can drastically reduce the very real risk of whiplash.

Claiming whiplash compensation

Most of us aren’t lucky enough to be a professional racing driver, but we’re still liable to suffer a whiplash injury either on the road or whilst pursuing sporting activities. If you’ve been hurt in an accident, and it wasn’t your fault, you could be in a position to claim for personal injury compensation.

Our solicitors have years of experience at pursuing claims for people suffering from whiplash and they have a fantastic success rate. They work on a no win, no fee basis, won’t charge you a single penny for their services and will even let you keep 100% of any compensation that you win.

So pick up the phone today, call 0808 143 43 42 and let us begin your claim for whiplash compensation.