| The amount of compensation paid out to victims of | | | | peace of mind to those who suffered pain long after |
| whiplash injuries could increase after research proved | | | | their injury and were unable to get a proper answer. |
| that the injury can leave a long-term damage to neck | | | | He said: "Whiplash is not always the best term, to be |
| muscles even years after the injury was sustained. | | | | honest, because it conjures up images amongst |
| According to research by Australian-based experts, | | | | society of people trying to milk the system," as 80 per |
| long-term damages are possible as a result of a | | | | cent of people who suffer the injury usually go on to |
| whiplash injury,and there is evidence to prove it. | | | | recover without any effects. |
| The research conducted by Dr James Elliott, a | | | | He said: "They will heal quite quickly in a few |
| postdoctoral researcher at the University of | | | | months...but there's 20 (per cent) of the population that, |
| Queensland's Centre for Clinical Research Excellence | | | | for whatever reason, goes on to have longer-term |
| in Spinal Paid, Injury and Health, and his colleagues at | | | | pain and disability and no one to this day has really |
| the University of Queensland (UQ), found that the | | | | known why." |
| scans of those who suffer chronic neck pain years | | | | He added: "Four out of ten people who have had a |
| after sustaining a whiplash injury revealed that there | | | | whiplash injury will continue to have some ongoing pain |
| were signs of the development of irregular fat | | | | for 6 months and 20-25% of them will continue to |
| deposits- which is an indicator of damage deep within | | | | report symptoms more than three years later. |
| their neck muscles. | | | | We don't know the exact reasons as to why, but it's |
| Dr Elliott stated that the fat deposits were not related | | | | clear that if symptoms persist for six months following |
| to a person's overall weight. | | | | injury, the status of a whiplash patient is unlikely to |
| One of the participants who was found to have the | | | | change in the long-term." |
| deposits had suffered from their whiplash injury just | | | | Meanwhile, motorists and passengers who want to |
| three months earlier, which the led the research to | | | | avoid suffering from whiplash injuries should put |
| focus on how quickly they appear. | | | | adjusting their headrests as another safety precaution |
| According to studies in animals, the results of how | | | | alongside buckling seatbelts after getting into a vehicle. |
| trauma can lead to spine-muscle turning into fat within | | | | Stefanie Hay, an insurance and claims expert at Aviva |
| days. | | | | Canada said: "Headrests are designed to work |
| He added: "We've found that people with long-term | | | | alongside the seatbelt so that when an accident |
| injury have large amounts of fat infiltration in their neck | | | | occurs it prevents the head from twisting backwards, |
| muscles. | | | | which subsequently results in whiplash. |
| Our hypothesis is, at least in some of these individuals | | | | Drivers can sustain an injury from an incorrectly |
| who have had a whiplash-type injury, is that their | | | | adjusted headrest even at speeds as low as 15 |
| muscles might turn to fat really quick and that's what | | | | kilometres per hour - the same speed as the average |
| we're trying to answer." | | | | bicycle. |
| He stated that the discovery will put some kind of | | | | |