Whiplash is a non-medical term describing a range of injuries to the neck caused by or related to a sudden distortion of the neck associated with extension, although the exact injury mechanisms remain unknown. Whiplash injury: A hyperextension and flexion injury to the neck, often a result of being struck from behind, as by a fast-moving vehicle in a car accident. All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. The term "whiplash" is a colloquialism. Whiplash is a neck injury due to forceful, rapid back-and-forth movement of the neck, like the cracking of a whip. Whiplash is a relatively common injury that occurs to a person's neck following a sudden acceleration-deceleration force that causes unrestrained, rapid forward and backward movement of the head and neck, most commonly from motor vehicle accidents. Whiplash is a neck injury due to forceful, rapid back-and-forth movement of the neck, like the cracking of a whip.Whiplash is commonly caused by rear-end car accidents. However, some people continue to have pain for several months or years after the injury occurred.It is difficult to predict how each person with whiplash may recover.
Can include fractures, subluxations, sprains, muscle strains, and cerebral concussion. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. Learn more from WebMD about symptoms and treatment of the condition.

But whiplash can also result from sports accidents, physical abuse and other types of traumas, such as a fall. Whiplash injury definition is - injury of the cervical spine and cerebral concussion occurring in an automobile collision which causes forceful flexion or extension of the neck and violent oscillation of the head forward and backward or backward and forward. © 1998-2020 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/whiplash+injuryAn imprecise term for various injuries resulting from sudden and violent hyperextension of the head on the trunk, followed by hyperflexion, as in a motor vehicle collision. Most people with whiplash get better within a few weeks by following a treatment plan that includes pain medication and exercise. However, some people have chronic neck pain and other long-lasting complications.Signs and symptoms of whiplash usually develop within days of the injury, and may include:See your doctor if you have any neck pain or other whiplash symptoms after a car accident, sports injury or other traumatic injury. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission.Check out these best-sellers and special offers on books and newsletters from Mayo Clinic. It's important to get a prompt and accurate diagnosis and to rule out broken bones or other damage that can cause or worsen symptoms.Whiplash typically occurs when your head is forcefully and quickly thrown backward and then forward. whiplash injury: Etymology: ME, whippen + lasshe + L, ijuria Usage notes: (informal) an injury to the cervical vertebrae or their supporting ligaments and muscles marked by pain and stiffness. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.org," "Mayo Clinic Healthy Living," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. whiplash definition: 1. a neck injury caused by a sudden forward movement of the upper body, especially in a car…. Learn more. The term "railway spine" was used to describe a similar condition that was common in persons … This motion can injure bones in the spine, disks between the bones, ligaments, muscles, nerves and other tissues of the neck.Most people who have whiplash feel better within a few weeks and don't seem to have any lasting effects from the injury. Whiplash injury definition: any injury to the neck resulting from a sudden thrusting forwards and snapping back of... | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples "Cervical acceleration–deceleration" (CAD) describes the mechanism of the injury, while the term "whiplash associated disorders" (WAD) describes the injury sequelae and symptoms. All rights reserved. This injury is most common following a rear-end car collision.

In general, you may be more likely to have chronic pain if your first symptoms were intense, started rapidly and included:The following risk factors have been linked to a worse outcome:Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Any use of this site constitutes your agreement to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy linked below. Whiplash may be called a neck sprain or strain, but these terms also include other types of neck injuries.Most people with whiplash get better within a few weeks by following a treatment plan that includes pain medication and exercise. Subsequent to the survey, a 30 minute educational presentation was conducted focusing on the causes, consequences, and prevention of Reports suggest that more than three per cent of adults who are in a vehicle during a rear-end collision, experience a As a result of the selection criteria for study, the QTF could not generalize its results to the majority of the population at risk for "Johnny Sexton, with his neck and shoulder, it's more of a "Over the past year the average premium for a comprehensive car insurance policy increased by 8.7% and The 19-year-old Ireland U20 star had to be carried off after suffering a In qualifying this, Stevensadds that scientific advances in our understanding of whiplash and crash dynamics increasingly allow medical and engineering experts to identify which bumps simply couldn't have caused a serious The term "whiplash" was first used in 1928. Neck strain, or whiplash, occurs when sudden force stretches and tears the muscles and tendons in your neck. The mechanics of whiplash injury are thought to be as follows: The victim may be first pushed or accelerated forward, pushing the body forward, but the head remains behind momentarily, rocking up and back, and some muscles and …