By just 3 months, patients may commonly recover from the trauma. However, it is also possible for some patients to find the problem chronic.
Risk factors which help in the indication of a patient’s recovery time from the damage:
Women: Women have smaller muscles and structures, particularly in the neck. Therefore they are more susceptible to this injury.
Older folks: Older individuals may face more degeneration in the spine. Also, they may experience pre-existing conditions in the spine which makes them vulnerable to the injury.
Severe pain: Severe pain right after the impact is a great indication that more alarming damage has occurred. This brings in longer recovery time for the patient.
Post-traumatic stress disorder: People who keep thinking about the accident may end up just avoiding driving completely. Restlessness and depression may also set in.
Although progress has been made with the patient’s longer recovery times, clinical tests are still done to help with the estimation of the injury’s severity.