Whiplash is a term commonly used to describe a type of injury to the neck. This kind of injury results from a sudden blow that throws the head rapidly backward and forward. Such a blow can damage the muscles and ligaments that hold the bones in the neck. A whiplash injury typically causes pain and stiffness in the neck, and often in the shoulders. It frequently produces severe headaches. Most whiplash injuries occur in car accidents. Raised headrests and the use of safety belts greatly reduce the chance of such injuries.
In many cases of whiplash, the victim does not experience pain until several hours after the injury occurs. The pain generally is most severe during the next several days. Wearing a padded collar to stabilize the neck, use of heat and massage, and taking mild pain medicines can help reduce the discomfort. Emotional upset due to whiplash injury can make the condition worse, so doctors often reassure victims that the pain will diminish.
In most cases of whiplash injury, X rays do not show damage to the muscles and ligaments of the neck. As a result, it is difficult to determine the exact cause of the pain and the amount of disability that the injury produces.
