What is Whiplash, and How to Prevent It

There are many misconceptions that people have about whiplash and properties of it. It is a frequent, yet threatening injury experienced by many as result of car accidents. There are many reasons for the misunderstandings-whiplash is not visible to the naked eye; most assume that if the "accident causer" wasn't injured, the "accident victim" wasn't either; as well, the variety of whiplash conditions and people's reaction to it are wide and varied.

There are seven common fallacies about whiplash:

Many think that men are more vulnerable to injury because of greater neck muscle mass. Such a statement is totally false. Studies show that less neck muscle mass puts people at higher risk for whiplash, meaning that many women are at more of a risk than men.

Common sense tries to tell us that your neck could not be injured because there was no direct impact to it. A direct blow is not necessary for injury. Enough force in a collision can jolt the neck far beyond its normal range of motion. A chain reaction of muscles being pulled awkwardly can lead to injury.

People think that X-rays show everything. They don't; X-rays only reveal fractures to the bone, but not damage to soft tissue, which is a common place where whiplash takes place. Soft tissue includes neck muscles, ligaments, nerves, and blood vessels.

Some will argue, "All those complaints are psychosomatic!" In this instance, psychosomatic refers to psychological factors that are real cause of physical symptoms. However, the word psychosomatic actually means that there is a complex connection between the workings of the body and mind, which works both ways. It cannot be defined as a one-way interaction, as the statement above suggested.

It is assumed that rest and time plus muscle relaxants and tranquillizers will take care of a whiplash patient's distress. Of course, these are quite necessary for recovery, yet adequate physical therapy is a must. Without it, the victim may suffer a chronic problem of a stiff, sore neck.

Another fallacy is that whiplash victims are guilty of malingering for monetary gain. There are no valid statistical studies supporting such suspicions. Car collisions are not the only cause of whiplash. Researchers are finding that infants can suffer the same problems if their parents handle them roughly.

And finally, it is believed that seat belts will stop whiplash. While they do help in preventing one from being slung from their seat, they will not aid in stopping whiplash (it is being said that seat belts may even contribute to the risk). The best way to minimize any possible whiplash injury is to sit well-positioned in a seat with a sturdy seat backing.