Whiplash injury

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Whiplash injury is the effect on the neck of a sudden stop in forward movement, for instance in a car crash. An adult human head weighs as much as a bowling ball (around 3.5 kg or 8 lbs) .

In a sudden stop, the head is thrown forward violently, putting a brief but extreme strain on the neck. This stretches muscles and ligaments in the neck.

This is immediately followed by a reflex contraction of the overstretched muscles, so that the head then jerks in the opposite direction.

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