Whiplash injury: a reappraisal

Few topics provoke so much controversy or heated opinion, based on so little fact as whiplash injuries. In emergency departments, orthopaedic, neurological and rheumatological clinics, and not least in the Courts, this common syndrome is shrouded in mystery and creates clinical insecurity in those who attempt to explain its mechanism, its prognosis and treatment. These problems are compounded in medico-legal practice where the potential rewards of successful litigation may colour the clinical picture.