Possible Whiplash and concussion after a car accident

Dear Ask The Doctor: Hello, i am a 28 year old male, and was in a car accident about 3 days ago now, it was a front collusion and he hit us came into our lane doing about 30: we where doing about 10 mph upon impact i was wearing my safety belt my right hand extended forward to the dash and planted firm, my body jerked forward as much as the seat belt let me then my body recoiled backwards and i hit my head upon the head rest of the car seat it was a firm head rest aside arm pain shoulder pain and a slight head ache at the time and discomfort to the neck, turning or looking up and down, the pain was about an 8 out of ten. as the days passed though and i went to my doctor, there is swelling in my neck he said C spine, the c-4 disk? and i have limited range of motion in my right arm, shoulder pain sharp at times and my pinky and ring finger are numb, tingly feeling and weak. my hand was also discolored for two days but is returning to normal now. main concern is neck pain has increased, i feel dizzy, light headed, very weak and fagitied, i have a running nose no cold or fever flu at least i don't feel it when going from sitting to standing i feel a sudden jolt? disoriting feeling like a head rush, my legs feel suddenly weak and everything spins, my vision blurs for a few moments, very short, 30 seconds to 1 minute slightly less or longer at times and then it passes. my doctor wants me to follow up tomorrow, but i have concerns today, should i wait to see how i feel tomorrow? should i go to the ER? or see my doctor? just very worried.

Dear David: According to your detailed description,  you may have both:  a Whiplash cervical injury and some post-concussion symptoms. The Whiplash injury (cervical acceleration-deceleration) is one of the most common cause of cervical strain and also one of the most common sequel of nonfatal car injuries. The severity of the trauma often not correlated with the seriousness of the clinical problems. A history of neck injury is a significant risk factor for chronic neck pain. Other complications besides the pain include:  spinal cord compression, strains or tears of the anterior spinal ligaments, shoulder pain, muscular weakness of the arms. On the other hand, a concussion is a brain injury that may produce headache, altered levels of alertness and unconsciousness. Most of the time is the result of an important and significant blow to the head that shakes the brain inside the skull, which temporarily prevents the brain from working normally, this blow may be mild, moderate or severe. Sometimes a person who has a more serious concussion, may develop new symptoms over time and feels worse than before the injury, this is “Post Concussive Syndrome”. It is important that over the time you start to show Post Concussive Symptoms, you call your doctor and get a thoroughly neurological evaluation. The post concussive symptoms include: difficulty to think, concentrate or remember; headaches or blurry vision; becoming angry or anxious for no reason; lack of interest in your usual activities, changes in your sex drive, dizziness, lightheadedness or unsteadiness that makes difficult for you to walk or standing. It is difficult to predict the outcome in terms of neurologic sequels, some people feel normal again in a few hours after a concussion while others have symptoms and sequels for weeks or months, it depends on each case in particular and also depends on the severity of blows.I strongly recommend you to have the follow up evaluation with your doctor.