When someone asks “what are the symptoms of whiplash?” there are novel type reports that you could hand to them to answer the question. Everyone has a different experience when they are suffering from whiplash and this is why it is so difficult to define the symptoms. This process became a little easier when the Quebec Task Force developed a grade scale to define the different types of whiplash. This is a good way to define your experience, but you will not diagnose yourself.
The Quebec Task Force is a group that was put together by a Canadian car insurance company to help define whiplash injuries. What they put together was a grade scale from 0-4 defining the different types of whiplash injuries.
These are the grades developed by the Quebec Task Force:
Grade 0: No neck pain, stiffness, or any physical signs are noticed in the assessment of the patient. Your chiropractor may base this diagnosis on several different types of assessments, you just have to be honest about your feelings.
Grade 1: Neck complaints of pain, stiffness or tenderness only but no physical signs are noted by the examining physician. This is a situation where the patient is adamant about feeling pain but the chiropractor or physician can’t see any reason for it.
Grade 2: Neck complaints and the examining physician finds decreased range of motion and point tenderness in the neck. Your chiropractor may put you through a series of activities to discover if you are Grade 2 or not.
Grade 3: Neck complaints plus neurological signs such as decreased deep tendon reflexes, weakness and sensory deficits. It may be difficult to find a chiropractic neurologist but your chiropractor will likely be able to refer one to you if it is necessary.
Grade 4: Neck complaints and fracture or dislocation, or injury to the spinal cord. In this case you will likely be at your doctor or the emergency room and things will be treated as such.
Again, it is very important that you do not try to diagnose yourself with any of these grades, instead rely on the professionals. If you feel that your chiropractor is not listening to you or you are not getting a fair assessment you should get a second opinion. People go through a large amount of educational courses to be certified to make these assessments as to your situation or condition.