Whiplash syndrome is a non-medical term used to describe neck injuries caused by rapid, sudden, and very powerful movements coming from the front, side, or back of the head. Whiplash most often occurs during motorcycle accidents, but this neck injury can also be caused by sports accidents, physical violence, or other trauma, such as when dropped. If you get a whiplash due to an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you can file the matter to court, contact car accident lawyer in Oklahoma City and we will help you.
This term was first used in 1928. Whiplash syndrome describes damage to the structure and soft tissues of the neck and head, while “whiplash associated disorders”, aka Whiplash disturbance complications, illustrate the condition of a more severe and chronic neck injury.
How does whiplash syndrome occur? Whiplash syndrome occurs when the soft tissues (muscles and ligaments) of the neck suffer from tension because of a rapid movement that causes the head to fall forward and then back (or vice versa), or from the right-left side, beyond its normal range of motion. This sudden movement causes the tendons and ligaments of the neck to be attracted to stretch and tear, resulting in a reaction similar to a lash crash. In addition, this neck trauma can also injure the vertebrae, bone disks, nerves, and other soft tissues of the neck.
A recent study investigating whiplash syndrome on crash dummies during motorized accidents using high-speed cameras found that the backward collision force forces the lower neck bone to a very stretched position, while the upper neck bone is slacked. As a result, this collision causes an abnormal “S” shape on the very prominent cervical spine. It is estimated that this abnormal movement causes damage to the fine tissue that holds the position of the collarbone.
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