Anesthesia Coding Alert

Injuries can be serious, not just an insurance ploy

For many people, the term "whiplash" can conjure images of a questionable lawyer and an equally suspect client trying to trick carriers into paying them for alleged injuries. But the diagnosis doesn't always originate with the patient -- physicians commonly diagnose auto accident patients with whiplash (847.0, Sprains and strains of other and unspecified parts of back; neck). Your physician is also talking about whiplash when he refers to "cervical acceleration/ deceleration insult."

Whiplash can occur when an automobile collision's force causes the vehicle occupant's head to whip back and forth(hyperextension/hyperflexion).

The term "whiplash" describes the injury to soft tissues in the cervical spine such as intervertebral discs, muscles, ligaments and nerves. Common symptoms of whiplash include neck tenderness and stiffness, headache, dizziness, nausea, jaw pain, shoulder and/or arm pain, numbness or tingling, and blurred vision. In rare cases, the patient might have difficulty swallowing.

Some patients have cognitive, somatic or psychological conditions because of whiplash. These can include memory loss, concentration impairment, nervousness or irritability, sleep disturbance, fatigue, or depression.