Swimming with whiplash?

I don't have an experience with whiplash but wanted to say that I'm sorry you were in the accident. I hope you recover soon.

Thanks for all the well-wishes. It actually helps. It also helped to come home from work today and take a nap! It seems like as soon as I stand, the pain gets worse as I'm upright. That being said, I'm optimistic. The icing seems to work wonders. It doesn't hurt that my Primary Care Doc is on my swim team, as is the chiropractor I spoke with today. They know me pretty well and it helps that we've been swimming together for years and years. They both said tomorrow will probably be the worst day, so after that, we'll see about swimming. You know-the first thing I thought was cell phone, especially since the woman who caused the accident was 19. My husband is wondering if a lawyer is necessary, but I must say, the girl/woman called her insurance company right away, before I had even done it, acknowledged her responsibility, and her insurance company immediately called to offer me a rental car until my car is drivable, was totally okay with the body repair place I want to use, and has generally been totally accommodating. Could it be that people will actually do the right thing? Imagine... Right now, I'm really wondering how the woman in the middle car feels. She got sandwiched so I can't imagine her neck is feeling great. I am also completely meticulous about saving things so already have a file going with fax confirmations, emails, etc. Pays to be the daughter of a librarian when it comes to some of these things! Thanks again for all the well wishes! Hope everyone has a terrific and safe weekend!

Wow, so sorry this happened to you. You may need to meet with a lawyer for this one if you haven't already, sounds bad :( Definitely get a neck collar for support, really helps, and can be found at any pharmacy. I really hope a cell phone wasn't the cause.

Ouch, yours sounds way worse. I'm sorry that happened to you, and glad you made it out in one piece. I agree about the lawyer. Also make sure you save every little piece of information about the incident, even months or years later. Insurance companies have a habit of taking their damn time to get around to asking you for stuff. I think the 5 miler is pretty much out of the question.

Thanks for this. My pain started about 20 minutes after, which is apparently a sign of the severity of the trauma. Ugh. Today, it feels MISERABLE and I have literally no appetite-very unusual for me. I have a race next weekend-5 miles-and right now, that seems miserable. Can't decide what to do about that. My car was really damaged, especially since it was a three-car accident. A woman in an SUV didn't stop, hit the car behind me, which was totaled, and that car hit me. I got the impact of both cars, jammed my arm, and the neck went all kafluey. Just glad my son wasn't in the car--that's really the most important thing for me. That and the fact that I didn't get pushed into the middle of the intersection. Of course, i have to travel for work tomorrow and be away for 5 days. Lovely! The idea of the water supporting my head sounds really lovely right now because it feels miserable even to just hold my head up. I feel ridiculous but if I could wear one of those neck thingies right now, totally would. Thanks for the empathy--and glad to hear that everything is feeling better for you now. Think I'll go home and ice...

I wonder if a little swimming with a snorkel would feel good? Hope you recover quickly!

I got rear-ended on the highway last year while I was driving back from a triathlon. :afraid: My carbon racing bike was in the trunk but luckily that did not get damaged. As for me, well my head and neck were killing me the day after. Acute pain lasted about a day or two, with some dull lingering whiplash symptoms that continued for almost a month. I got in the pool pretty soon after that, but I didn't do any hard swimming for at least a week. It felt good to be supported by the water. I used the pull buoy a lot. And the hot tub. As a point of reference, I was driving an SUV at the time.. I think it was a Mercury Mariner (rental). The rear bumper got dented and slightly dislodged, but there wasn't much damage other than that. It was a fairly minor accident from the car's perspective. I didn't see the guy coming so it was a complete surprise. I'm 6'3" so my head and neck were above the crappy headrest and had plenty of room to whip back and forth. At first I thought I was fine. It took about an hour of standing in the sun waiting for the cops to arrive before I started getting a head and neck ache. The next day, though.... :censor: During the ensuing month I did a lot of streching, self-massage of the neck and shoulder area, and not much sprinting in the pool. All of this happened about 15 months ago and I haven't even thought about it in a long time, and have no residual symptoms. My neck hurts now, thinking about it. F****ng tailgaters.:rant3:

So sorry to hear about the accident Sydned! I have no experience with whiplash either but I've heard it can cause some strange symptoms and last longer than you might think it would. I would try to find a physician with lots of trauma experience. I like Chicken's idea of swimming with a snorkel. At least you could have a neutral neck posititon. Good luck; I hope you heal fast!