Neck soft-tissue injury (whiplash)

For a lay person:

A neck soft-tissue injury, often called whiplash, happens when the head is jerked suddenly, as in a car accident, fall or sports collision, straining the muscles and ligaments of the neck. It causes pain and stiffness, sometimes with headaches and shoulder pain, often starting hours after the injury. Most people recover within weeks.

For a trained medical person:

A whiplash-associated disorder from rapid acceleration-deceleration of the cervical spine causing soft-tissue strain without fracture or neurological deficit. Validated rules such as the Canadian C-spine rule decide whether imaging is needed to exclude fracture. Management is reassurance, early return to normal activity, analgesia and exercise-based physiotherapy; soft collars are not recommended.

In Chinese medicine:

Liu and Tseng's textbook differentiates this condition into these patterns: Beginning Stage; Middle and Late Stage. Treatment follows the pattern a patient presents with, not the Western diagnosis alone.

When to get help: After any accident, get emergency care for neck pain with numbness, tingling or weakness in the arms or legs, severe headache, confusion or reduced consciousness. See a doctor if pain is not improving after a few weeks.