Whiplash is the prototype soft tissue neck injury.
There are obviously many other processes which will produce injury to the cervical spine. Pathophysiology Whiplash is an acceleration-deceleration mechanism of energy transfer to the neck. It may result from rearend or side-impact motor vehicle collisions, but can also occur during diving or other mishaps. This belief has been refuted in subsequent experimental studies and computer models that have clearly defined the sequence of events following a rear-end collision. At the time of impact, the vehicle is accelerated forward, followed after 100 ms by a similar acceleration of the patient's trunk and shoulders induced by the car seat.