Description
Whiplash occurs when there is injury to the ligaments, muscles and/or tendons of the neck. The term whiplash injury is not used when there is an associated fracture or herniated disc. It occurs with a sudden movement of the head forward and backward or side to side, such as in a car accident. It is also called neck strain, neck sprain, cervical sprain, or cervical strain.
Symptoms
Neck pain, neck tenderness, neck stiffness, shoulder pain, upper back pain, headache. The pain often becomes worse 24 hours after the injury.
Tests
Common tests used for diagnosis and treatment
Workup:
A history and physical exam will be performed. Imaging studies may be done to rule out other causes of the symptoms.
Tests:
CT Scan, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), X-ray
Specialists:
Internal Medicine, Neurosurgery, Pediatrics, Family Practice, Spine Surgery, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (physiatry)
Workup:
A history and physical exam will be performed. Imaging studies may be done to rule out other causes of the symptoms.
Tests:
CT Scan, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), X-ray
Specialists:
Internal Medicine, Neurosurgery, Pediatrics, Family Practice, Spine Surgery, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (physiatry)
Treatment
Therapy is aimed at reducing the symptoms and speeding up the healing process. Treatment includes: nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications/NSAIDs (ibuprofen/Motrin or Advil, naproxen/Naprosyn or Aleve), pain medications such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), muscle relaxants (metaxalone/Skelaxin, baclofen/Lioresal, orphenadrine/Norflex, tizanidine/Zanaflex), and/or physical therapy.