Whiplash injury: Relieving the pain in your neck

It's been a day or two since your car was rear ended, and you start to feel discomfort in your neck. Could it be a whiplash injury? And could it be serious?

What is a whiplash injury?

Whiplash is a soft-tissue injury to the neck that happens after an impact. Whiplash occurs when your body and neck suddenly are thrust forward, while your head moves back and then snaps forward.

This high-velocity, back-and-forth motion can damage various structures within your neck, especially your ligaments and muscles. Whiplash also can injure nerves and bones within the neck, as well as discs in the cervical spine.

Whiplash is also called a neck sprain or strain.

What can cause whiplash?

The most common cause of whiplash is car accidents, especially being hit from behind. But it can also happen from any sudden change in movement or direction.

Other causes include sports collisions, riding a roller coaster, physical abuse, and falling.

Symptoms of whiplash

Whiplash symptoms include neck pain or stiffness, muscle spasms in the neck, dizziness, headache, and pain felt in the jaw, shoulders, or arms.

Symptoms of whiplash may not appear right away after an impact. They may take hours to days to develop.

A whiplash injury could be serious even if you don't feel pain right away. For example, a ligament injury or muscle strain may cause problems with neck motion, or muscle spasms that become more noticeable later.

How is whiplash diagnosed?

A doctor usually diagnoses whiplash after hearing how the injury occurred and by doing a physical examination. In most cases, tests or imaging such as MRI or CT scans are not needed.

But if the doctor is concerned that there may be a fracture, abnormal spinal bone alignment, or spinal cord damage, imaging may be necessary.

Treating whiplash

Treatment for whiplash typically includes rest, pain-relieving medications, and muscle relaxants. Some people benefit from physical therapy, or wearing a cervical collar for a few hours at a time to keep their neck immobile.

For most cases of whiplash injury, the most important factor is the passage of time. Symptoms usually improve within a week or two.

While waiting for whiplash to improve, try these tips:

• Apply ice or cold compresses for the first few days and then switch to heat.
• Avoid lifting heavy loads that can put strain on your neck.
• Don't wear a backpack that can pull on your neck muscles.
• Avoid maintaining the same neck position for too long, such as working long hours in front of a computer or driving for long stretches.
• Try gentle range-of-motion exercises for your neck.
• Take an over-the-counter pain reliever, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, if needed.
• Your doctor may prescribe a muscle relaxant if you have muscle pain or if muscle spasms are bothersome.

One study found that people who experienced post-traumatic stress symptoms, which can occur after an accident, felt more pain and had a slower recovery from whiplash. The researchers suggested that interventions to address feelings of stress were effective in reducing pain and disability after a whiplash injury, compared to treatment as usual.

Surgery is rarely needed to treat whiplash injury.

Can you prevent a whiplash injury?

Because most whiplash results from unexpected impacts, a whiplash injury can't always be prevented. But you can take some steps to help keep yourself safe:

• Always wear your seatbelt.
• Ensure the headrests and seat positions in your car are adjusted as recommended in the owner's manual. 
• If you ride roller coasters, make sure the restraints are securely fastened.