Whiplash

What is Whiplash?

Whiplash is a neck injury that happens when the head is thrown suddenly backward and then forward, or side to side. The rapid movement overstretches and can tear the muscles, ligaments, and small joints of the neck. It is most often seen after rear-end car collisions, but contact sports, falls, and a blow to the head can cause it too.

The damage is usually to soft tissue and the facet joints of the cervical spine rather than to the bones. Even so, the pain and stiffness can be significant, and they sometimes appear a day or two after the event rather than immediately.

Most people recover within a few weeks. A smaller group develops persistent neck pain and headaches that last for months, often because the cervical facet joints remain a source of pain after the soft tissue has healed.

Symptoms

• Neck pain and stiffness that worsens with movement
• Reduced range of motion in the neck
• Headaches, often starting at the base of the skull
• Pain spreading to the shoulders or upper back
• Tingling or numbness in the arms
• Dizziness, poor sleep, or difficulty concentrating

How We Treat It

Early on, most whiplash settles with conservative care, so we focus on keeping the neck gently moving and easing the muscle pain. Manual therapy helps restore range of motion and release the protective muscle tension that builds up after the injury, and we pair it with a graded neck exercise programme through physiotherapy.

When pain persists and the cervical facet joints are the source, we confirm this with diagnostic nerve blocks (medial branch blocks) and then use targeted steroid injections to settle the inflammation. If the facet joints keep generating pain after blocks confirm them, longer-lasting options can be considered. Our aim is to support early recovery and prevent short-term whiplash from becoming a long-term problem.