How do you know if you broke your neck?

Answer 1

To know if you have a concussion you can go to the doctor. One way I was told to know is that after you hit your head, someone needs to check your eyes. If your eyes look weird that is one sign. Another thing is after you hit your head, about 3 to six hours later you might vomit. My best advice is if you think you have one go to the doctor or the hospital.

Answer 2

The most obvious symptom is a very stiff neck - the reason you wear a collar is to keep from inflaming the neck muscles and causing any more spasms. Symptoms don't always appear immediately after an accident either - they can show up as early as the next day or several days later, or even longer than that if the damage is to the spine and isn't immediate. This is why it's important never to accept a settlement right away, as whiplash injuries tend to manifest and get worse as time passes.

The stiff neck is painful, but it's just due to muscle strain and spasms. The real problems happen if the cervical disks have been stressed or outright damaged or weakened. If there isn't a herniation (a weak spot caused by the accident in the disk where the disk material pushes through the protective membrane) right away, it will likely happen a year or more later, sometimes sooner, sometimes longer. It is one of those types of injuries that are sometimes not easily able to be fully analyzed to determine the full extent of the damage and long term injury.

For example, my mother was involved in an accident when the bus she was on was hit by a tractor trailer. She had had a premonition that she should move from the back of the bus and was moving toward the front when they were hit. She was thrown forward. That was over 6 years ago, and she is just now starting to have more serious disk complications from that accident.

Disk problems in the cervical spine aren't hard to miss - you'll first notice a "pinched nerve" in your shoulder or neck, followed by tingling and numbness in one of your arms that goes down the ulnar nerve into your pinky. As it gets worse, your arm will become excruciatingly painful and difficult to use, and if not corrected you could end up with paralysis in the arm or worse. Trust me when I tell you that if it happens, you don't want to let it get that far - I know exactly what it feels like.

Answer 3

• Tightness or spasms of the muscles the neck or upper back.
• Pain with movement of the neck, headache and dizziness (symptoms of a concussion).
• Difficulty swallowing and chewing and hoarseness (could indicate injury to the esophagus and larynx).
• Abnormal sensations such as burning or tingling.
• Shoulder pain.
• Upper Back pain.

Severe whiplash can also include injury to the intervertebral joints, discs, ligaments, cervical muscles and nerve of the neck or upper back. Fortunately, with time, the vast majority of people who have had a whiplash injury fully recover.

Answer 4

You would hear a faint CRACK. Talk to your doctor for more info.