Why is it some people get better after a whiplash injury and others don't? I've noticed over the years with friends and family that you either get better or you don't.

After years of study it looks like the cause of pain after a whiplash injury is damage to
the neck joints. The muscles seem to recover but the cervical joints may need to be
"reset" in their ability to detect and fine tune motion.

Of course there may be other important factors. For example, psychosocial effects such as
nervousness and loss of sleep may play key roles. One study showed that a prior history
of head trauma and headache leads to a worse result after an injury.

It's not really clear why some people have a worse result than others. Studies continue
to look for factors to predict the outcome. This may help us reduce the risk of injury
after an accident.