Whiplash is most commonly associated with rear-end car collisions in which the heads of those in the front car are suddenly snapped back and forth by the impact. It is more accurately called cervical acceleration/deceleration (CAD) trauma or syndrome, which describes the rapid movements that can injure the vertebrae of the neck and the muscles and ligaments that support them.
Anyone can be subjected to whiplash, even in a low-force car crash at speeds as low as 5 mph. But injuries associated with whiplash can also result from other mishaps in which the head is pushed or jerked beyond its normal range of motion. Whiplash most commonly causes serious and lingering neck pain, but there may also be back pain, headaches and dizziness. Inasmuch as bruising of the brain can sometimes occur in auto accidents and similarly severe causes of whiplash, some victims have experienced blurred vision, ringing in the ears, nausea and numbness.

Chiropractic treatment can help in relieving the neck pain and other debilitating effects of whiplash because it
restores movement lost after the accident, overcome muscle weakness and enhance muscle tone, help speed up recovery, and diminish chronic symptoms that can persist or recur over many years.

Repeated and effective chiropractic adjustments have proved successful for many thousands of patients. Chiropractic can, in many cases, significantly reduce patients' distress and allow them to return to their normal activities.



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• Spitzer WO, Skovron, ML, Salmi LR, et al. Redefining "whiplash" and its management. Scientific Monograph of the Quebec Task Force on Whiplash-Associated Disorders, Spine, 1995; vol. 20, no. 8S, pp1S-72S.