'Whiplash Injuries' of the cervical spine: The relationship between the mechanism of injury and neural tissue involvement

Neck pain is a common sequela of whiplash injury. It is often defined as ligamentous strain or sprain of the cervical region without fractures or dislocations after a motor vehicle accident. Clinical, animal and cadaveric studies have been employed to investigate the site and the extent of the lesions. There has been an increase in interest in the involvement of the nervous system in different disorders among physiotherapists. This review begins with a discussion of the mechanism of the injury followed by a review of the factors affecting its seventy. The injuries sustained by the drivers and the proposed mechanism of neural involvement in whiplash sufferers are also considered.