Dr. Robinson found an article written by David Goguen, a legal editor at Nolo, that he wants to share with you, along with his advice:  

"If you've been involved in a car accident, it's not unusual for your pain to get worse as time passes.  After the initial shock of the accident wears off and your body stops producing endorphins - which can mask pain and other symptoms of injury - you may hurt more on the day after the accident than on the day of. With any accident you need to be on the lookout for injuries with delayed symptoms.

"This article looks at a few of the most common late-appearing effects of a car accident, and what you can do to protect your health and your legal rights.

Soft Tissue Injuries and Whiplash

"The most common delayed injuries are soft tissue injuries.  Whiplash is an informal descriptor of soft tissue injuries in the neck, and it's a useful term mostly because of the public's familiarity with it. Whiplash is commonly understood as pain in the neck, but can affect any neural pathway, including into the extremities and down the spine.  

"Other possible symptoms of whiplash include:

• difficulty moving or reduced range of motion
• stiffness in arms and shoulders
• headaches
• dizziness
• muscle spasms
• slowed reflexes, and
• numbness or weakness in afflicted areas"  

"With these symptoms, whiplash can not only make life unpleasant, it can make everyday tasks around the home and at work considerably more difficult."

Management and treatment of whiplash injuries should be provided by an orthopedic specialist who can include physical therapy, expert chiropractic manipulation, and  supervised rehabilitation exercise  programs.