Being in a car crash is a common way of getting whiplash. You may have been in a car that was hit from behind by another car.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
Neck Pain.
October 2007. Available at http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00231 (accessed on 30 September 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

¹ But you can also get whiplash if your car is hit from the side or from the front. Even slow bumps to your car can cause enough whipping to hurt your neck.

You can also get whiplash from a sports injury. Or you might jolt your neck when you trip or fall, but this is a less common cause.

Some people get a severe whiplash injury that needs to be treated in the hospital.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia: neck pain.
August 2009. Available at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003025.htm (accessed on 30 September 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

² Sometimes the spine or

 

 

 

 

 

spinal cord
Your spinal cord is a thick bundle of nerves that runs down your backbone (spine). These nerves carry messages between your brain and the rest of your body. The bones (vertebrae) in your neck and back protect your spinal cord. If your spinal cord gets damaged, you may lose feeling in your legs or arms.

 

 

 

 

 

spinal cord gets damaged, but this isn't common. Here we look at common whiplash to neck muscles, not at whiplash that affects the spine or spinal cord.

Your doctor can rule out more serious reasons for your pain and stiffness by examining your neck. The doctor may also order some tests.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
Neck Pain.
October 2007. Available at http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00231 (accessed on 30 September 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

¹ For example, you might have an

 

 

 

 

 

X-ray
X-rays are pictures taken of the inside of your body. They are done by passing very small amounts of radiation through your body and onto film. X-rays can also be used as a treatment, such as in radiation therapy for cancer.

 

 

 

 

 

X-ray of your neck, a

 

 

 

 

 

CT scan
A CT scan is a type of X-ray. It takes several detailed pictures of the inside of your body from different angles. CT stands for computed tomography. It's also called a CAT scan (computed axial tomography).

 

 

 

 

 

CT scan, or an

 

 

 

 

 

MRI scan
The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine uses a magnetic field to create detailed pictures of the inside of the body. These pictures allow doctors to look at parts of the body in three-dimensional images.

 

 

 

 

 

MRI scan. Sometimes doctors do blood tests to look for

 

 

 

 

 

inflammation
If your skin or some other part of your body becomes red, swollen, hot or sore, we say it is inflamed. It means that your body is trying to protect you from germs, from something in your body tissues that can hurt you (like a thorn or sliver), or from things that cause allergies (allergens). Inflammation is part of the way the body heals an infection or injury.

 

 

 

 

 

inflammation or more serious causes for neck pain.

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