The mechanism of injury is the same no matter which direction the force comes from. The head and neck are forced into extension and flexion with a rear-end collision or flexion and extension with a front-end impact.

Scientists are still scratching their heads over chronic whiplash injuries. They ask the same question: why is it that some people recover just fine, while others go on to develop a chronic problem? In fact, the problem is common enough that it now has a label: whiplash associated disorder (WAD).

Scientists are still scratching their heads over chronic whiplash injuries. Why is it that some people recover just fine, while others go on to develop a chronic problem? In fact, the problem is common enough that it now has a label: whiplash associated disorder (WAD).

It's fairly routine to give a patient a cervical neck brace after neck fusion. But according to the
results of a study done in multiple U.S. centers, bracing isn't always needed. Fusion rates and return-to-work status were the same with or without the bracing.

These findings apply to patients who had a single-level anterior cervical disc fusion (ACDF).
Surgeons involved in the study say these results makes sense because the fusion was done with a metal

It's a well-known fact that the cervical spine (neck) and the scapulae (shoulder blades) are linked or connected by nothing more than muscles. Specifically, the upper trapezius and the levator scapulae muscles. These are referred to as the cervicoscapular muscles.

Physical therapists routinely examine patients with neck pain for posture and alignment. There is an assumption that these three things are linked together. In other words, if everything isn't lined up in a neutral or correct position, then neck pain may develop. Or neck pain gets worse in someone who already has neck pain. In this study, therapists take the first steps toward possibly proving that theory wrong.

When the head and neck are suddenly and forcefully whipped forward and back (or side to side), mechanical forces place great strain on the cervical spine (neck). Traumatic disc rupture and soft tissue damage can occur after such a whiplash injury. The cartilage between the disc and the vertebral bone can get cracked. This is known as a rim lesion.

Whiplash is defined as a sudden extension of the cervical spine (backward movement of the neck) and flexion (forward movement of the neck). This type of trauma is also referred to as a cervical acceleration-deceleration (CAD) injury. Rear-end or side-impact motor vehicle collisions are the number one cause of whiplash with injury to the muscles, ligaments, tendons, joints, and discs of the cervical spine.

Beliefs about whiplash and anxiety-related distress can lead to pain catastrophizing. This refers to a negative focus on pain, whether that pain is real or anticipated. A person's pain is increased or amplified and prolonged because of the way they view every physical action as a possible source of pain. This type of thinking becomes a habit and leads to chronic pain and disability.

Many studies have been done to identify what it is about some people who have a whiplash injury from a car accident that causes them to develop chronic neck pain. Is it the severity of the injury or the way they view the experience? A recent study from the Netherlands may help answer the question. The researchers looked at the role of catastrophizing and causal beliefs as possible predictive factors in postwhiplash syndrome.