Osteopath performing a cervical adjustment on a relaxed female patient, enhancing neck mobility and relief.
Those experiencing neck pain, stiffness, headache, shoulder and back pain may suffer from a whiplash injury. Can knowing whiplash signs and symptoms help individuals recognize the injury and help healthcare providers develop an effective treatment plan?
Whiplash is a neck injury that typically occurs after a motor vehicle collision or accident but can happen with any injury that rapidly whips the neck forward and backward. It is a mild to moderate injury of the neck muscles. Common whiplash signs and symptoms include:
The symptoms and treatment depend on the severity of the injury. Treatment can include over-the-counter pain medicines, ice and heat therapy, chiropractic, physical therapy, and stretching exercises.
The sudden whipping movement of the head can affect several structures within the neck. These structures include:
Whiplash is a neck sprain that occurs from a fast neck-jerking motion. Whiplash injuries account for more than half of vehicle traffic collision injuries. (Michele Sterling, 2014) Even with a minor injury, the most frequent symptoms include: (Nobuhiro Tanaka et al., 2018)
Individuals can develop neck discomfort and pain shortly after an injury; however, the more intense pain and stiffness typically do not occur right after the injury. Symptoms tend to worsen the next day or 24 hours later. (Nobuhiro Tanaka et al., 2018)
Researchers have found that approximately more than half of individuals with whiplash develop symptoms within six hours of the injury. Around 90% develop symptoms within 24 hours, and 100% develop symptoms within 72 hours. (Nobuhiro Tanaka et al., 2018)
Whiplash describes a mild to moderate neck injury without significant skeletal or neurological symptoms. Significant neck injuries can lead to fractures and dislocations of the spine that can affect the nerves and spinal cord. Once an individual develops neurological problems associated with a neck injury, the diagnosis changes from whiplash to traumatic cervical spine injury. These differences can be confusing as they are on the same spectrum. To better understand the severity of a neck sprain, the Quebec classification system divides neck injury into the following grades (Nobuhiro Tanaka et al., 2018)
Other whiplash signs and symptoms that can be associated with the injury but are less common or only occur with a severe injury include (Nobuhiro Tanaka et al., 2018)
Individuals with severe injuries can develop rare symptoms that often indicate traumatic cervical spine injury and include: (Nobuhiro Tanaka et al., 2018)
Most individual generally recover from their symptoms within a few weeks to a few months. (Michele Sterling, 2014) However, whiplash complications can occur, especially with severe grade 3 or grade 4 injuries. The most common complications of a whiplash injury include chronic/long-term pain and headaches. (Michele Sterling, 2014) Traumatic cervical spine injury can affect the spinal cord and be associated with chronic neurological problems, including numbness, weakness, and difficulty walking. (Luc van Den Hauwe et al., 2020)
The pain is typically more severe the next day than after the injury. Whiplash musculoskeletal injury treatment depends on whether it is an acute injury or the individual has developed chronic neck pain and stiffness.
Medicine, J. H. (2024). Whiplash Injury. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/whiplash-injury
MedlinePlus. (2017). Neck Injuries and Disorders. Retrieved from https://medlineplus.gov/neckinjuriesanddisorders.html#cat_95
Sterling M. (2014). Physiotherapy management of whiplash-associated disorders (WAD). Journal of physiotherapy, 60(1), 5–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphys.2013.12.004
Tanaka, N., Atesok, K., Nakanishi, K., Kamei, N., Nakamae, T., Kotaka, S., & Adachi, N. (2018). Pathology and Treatment of Traumatic Cervical Spine Syndrome: Whiplash Injury. Advances in orthopedics, 2018, 4765050. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/4765050
van Den Hauwe L, Sundgren PC, Flanders AE. (2020). Spinal Trauma and Spinal Cord Injury (SCI). In: Hodler J, Kubik-Huch RA, von Schulthess GK, editors. Diseases of the Brain, Head and Neck, Spine 2020–2023: Diagnostic Imaging [Internet]. Cham (CH): Springer; 2020. Chapter 19. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554330/ doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-38490-6_19
Moon, T. W., Posadzki, P., Choi, T. Y., Park, T. Y., Kim, H. J., Lee, M. S., & Ernst, E. (2014). Acupuncture for treating whiplash associated disorder: a systematic review of randomised clinical trials. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2014, 870271. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/870271