Cervical Whip: Symptoms, Causes And Treatment

The cervical whip is a pain in the neck that arises when this very sensitive area of ​​the body is subjected to very sudden acceleration and deceleration. Therefore, it usually occurs in traffic accidents where the driver has to brake very suddenly, or when he receives a rear impact. Also known as a cervical injury, it can cause a wide range of uncomfortable and dangerous symptoms.

In this article, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about this pathology.

What Causes Cervical Whip?

When you suddenly brake the car or receive a rear impact, the acceleration that moves the vehicle is transmitted directly to our neck. This makes the weight of our head (which is normally around 8 kilos) to be, momentarily, about 50 kilos,  much more than the cervicals can support without effort.

The most common explanation is that, because of this, internal distension occurs in some of the ligaments or muscles in the neck. This causes great pain in this region, which can expand to the head or back, in addition to causing other unusual and uncomfortable symptoms.

However, some studies show that the symptoms of a whiplash have nothing to do with the appearance of an injury. Some experts suggest that this is a psychosomatic problem, much more related to stress than physical damage.

It is generally not a very dangerous condition and it tends to go away on its own after a few days. However, in case these symptoms persist for a longer time, or are very strong, it is recommended to go to the doctor to rule out more serious problems.

most common symptoms

Most people who suffer from this condition have a series of very similar symptoms. Some of the most common are:

• Neck ache. It usually appears immediately, or in the hours after the accident.
• Stiffness in the cervicals. It manifests as difficulty moving the neck freely.
• Headache. Usually on top of it.
• Nausea or dizziness, with a feeling of losing balance at any time.

On some occasions, other less frequent symptoms may appear. So it’s not unusual for people with cervical whips to complain that the pain has spread to their arms or even their backs. On the other hand, tinnitus (an annoying ringing in the ears) may also appear.

In addition, in many cases, some emotional symptoms also arise. This happens due to the discomfort caused by having a traffic accident. The most common are anxiety and post-traumatic stress, but in both cases the problems are usually very mild and short-lived.

How to treat the problem?

The cervical whip is usually a problem that responds, with time and patience, quite well to treatment. In this sense, until recently, it was recommended to keep the neck immobilized to speed up recovery. This was because the pain was previously believed to be caused by an internal injury in the neck.

However, recent research shows that wearing a neck brace that immobilizes the neck can increase the time it takes to recover. This would be caused by the weakening of the muscles in the area, by remaining very still (some always in tension, others always relaxed). Therefore, nowadays, it is recommended to try to lead a normal life as soon as possible and reserve the use of the cervical collar only for occasional moments, such as when driving.

On the other hand, it was observed that  exercising to strengthen the cervical muscles decreases recovery time. In case of the appearance of a lot of pain, analgesics or anti-inflammatory drugs could be used.

As we can see, the cervical whip can be quite uncomfortable, but it doesn’t usually have serious consequences. However, if the emotional problems associated with it continue, it is advisable to resort to psychotherapy to resolve them.