Will It Take Longer To Recover From My Whiplash Injury Without Private Medical Treatment?

Whiplash is a common injury which is almost always sustained as the result of a road

traffic accident, often - but not always - when one vehicle collides with the rear of a stationary or slow-moving vehicle. As with all the injuries it is advisable to seek medical attention as soon as possible so that the correct method of treatment can be administered. However, NHS waiting-lists are often long meaning a patient may have to wait weeks, or even months, before a treatment slot becomes available. The alternative to receiving NHS treatment is, of course, going privately but this comes at a cost and many people do not have the funds readily available to pay for such treatment. If you have sustained a whiplash injury in a road traffic accident and cannot afford private medical treatment you may be concerned about the effects having to wait for treatment on the NHS may have on your recovery. This article looks at how whiplash is caused and how it may present itself in the way of symptoms, low-cost treatment methods and why you may not have to rule out receiving private medical treatment.

Whiplash is caused during the course of a road traffic collision when the impact of the collision causes the soft tissue and ligaments in the neck to be stretched beyond their usual range of movement. The symptoms of a whiplash injury may not be immediately apparent and may take several hours, or even several days, to appear. When they do appear, symptoms may present themselves as pain and stiffness in the neck and shoulders, restricted movement in the neck, headaches, nausea and dizziness. If you experience any or all of these symptoms, or have any other reason to think that you may have been injured, you should seek urgent medical attention from your GP or local Accident & Emergency department.

Treatment methods for minor whiplash injuries do not have to be expensive in order to be effective. For example, common methods of treating whiplash injuries include strong painkillers and gentle mobility exercises. If you have sustained a more serious whiplash injury you may require a course of physiotherapy and it is at this point that you may be anxious about either having to wait for physiotherapy treatment on the NHS or finding the funds to pay for private treatment.

If the accident which resulted in your injury was caused by somebody else's negligence you will be able to claim back the cost of private medical treatment as part of your whiplash injury compensation claim. In cases such as these, where the cost of your private medical treatment forms part of your 'special damages' claim, you may either be able to request an interim payment from the third party insurers to cover the cost of such treatment or, alternatively, your treatment provider may agree to defer payment until your claim has been settled.

The important thing to remember, if you have suffered a whiplash injury, is to seek medical advice as soon as possible after the accident. You should carefully follow any medical advice given to you to ensure that you do not prolong your recovery. Your solicitor will arrange for you to be assessed by an independent medical expert who will assess your injuries and prepare a report detailing the same. If the medical expert feels that you should undergo a course of, for example, physiotherapy your solicitor will arrange this for you and will claim the cost of the treatment back from the third party insurers.

In summary, if you have sustained a whiplash injury due to somebody else's negligence, the fact that you do not have the funds readily available to pay for private medical treatment should not delay your recovery as there will be other options open to you with regard to funding the cost of such treatment.

by: Robert Gray

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