When we think of whiplash we think of someone getting rear-ended in a car and being stuck wearing one of those ugly neck braces for weeks on end. While this is the primary mechanism of injury for someone suffering from whiplash it is not all there is to know on the subject.
Whiplash is a condition of the cervical spine (neck) brought on by a distortion of the neck, usually from severe acceleration or deceleration of the body, driving the cervical spine into excessive extension, flexion, or a combination of the two. Our typical rear-end accident resulting in whiplash is a stationary vehicle suddenly hit from behind by another. In this case, it is not the impact of the car that causes the injury, it’s the severe “jarring” or “whipping” of the head backward, driving the neck into extreme extension and injuring the muscles, ligaments, and skeleton making up the neck. This whip-like action of the neck gives “whiplash” its’ name.