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What force causes whiplash?

An 8 mph car collision produces two times the force of gravity (or a 2-G) deceleration of the car, and a 5-G deceleration of the head. This unnatural and forceful movement affects the muscles and ligaments in the neck, stretching and potentially tearing them.

What muscles are injured in whiplash?

Shoulder muscles are often affected by whiplash too. You may feel pain between shoulder blades or along the shoulder muscles, depending on the accident. Finally, back muscles can be affected as well. Even muscles in the low back could tense up as a result of the auto accident.

Which ligament is damage in whiplash?

The alar ligament was the most commonly injured structure, as 66% of the whiplash patients showed significant damage to the ligament. “The patients who had the head rotated at the instant of collision had more often high-grade MRI changes of the alar ligaments than those with the head in a neutral position.

What happens to muscles during whiplash?

Whiplash occurs when the muscles in your neck suffer a strain because of a rapid movement backward and then forward. The sudden motion causes your neck’s tendons and ligaments to stretch and tear, resulting in whiplash.

Why does whiplash happen physics?

A whiplash event is a relative motion between the head and torso that occurs in rear-end automobile collisions. In particular, the large inertia of the head results in a horizontal translation relative to the thorax. Thus, whiplash provides a connection between the dynamics of the human body and physics.

What part of the brain is damaged in whiplash?

Without significant loss of consciousness and peritraumatic amnesia, brain damage does not occur. Brain regions that are exposed to damage following acceleration-deceleration trauma are the prefrontal cortex, which is crucial for the more complex attentional functioning.

What happens to neck in whiplash?

Whiplash is also known as neck sprain or neck strain. This common type of neck injury happens when the neck jolts backward or forward, sharply and suddenly. Whiplash due to a motor vehicle collision or another injury can strain your muscles or damage soft tissues in your neck.

Which vertebrae are involved in whiplash?

The upper back/lower neck area includes the rib/vertebrae joints, which are also commonly involved in whiplash injuries.

What nerves are affected by whiplash?

Sometimes whiplash can cause one of the neck’s spinal nerve roots to become compressed or inflamed, which can lead to cervical radiculopathy symptoms of tingling, weakness, and/or numbness radiating down the shoulder, arm, hand, and/or fingers.

What type of movement is responsible for this whiplash injury?

Whiplash injury is poorly understood, but usually involves the muscles, discs, nerves, and tendons in your neck. It is caused by the neck bending forcibly forward and then backward, or vice versa. Many whiplash injuries occur if you are involved in a rear-end automobile collision.

What Newton’s law explains whiplash?

Newton’s first law and Newton’s second law can help explain the “whiplash” injury that passengers suffer during this kind of collision. Imagine looking at the rear-end collision in slow motion.

Is whiplash caused by inertia?

Whiplash injuries during an automobile accident are caused by the inertia of the head. If someone is wearing a seatbelt, her body will tend to move with the car seat. However, her head is free to move until the neck restrains it, causing damage to the neck.