[Biomechanics of injury of the cervical spine]

Whiplash injuries of the cervical spine are of special medical and socio-economic importance. Biomechanical studies of the injury have proven, that a hypertranslation of the capito-cervical region takes place first, leading to ligamentous hyperdistension and ruptures, when exceeding elastic deformation, thus possibly resulting in mechanical disturbance and rotatory malpositioning. Diagnosis of so called "functional disorders" bears difficulties concerning objective tests for structural lesions. This demands the definition of diagnostic parameters and clinical signs, which also consider vegetative phenomena. This paper aims at a systematic clinical and radiological check. Adequate therapeutic means have to be concordant to prognosis. Therefore functional parameters should already determine differential diagnosis. This is based on technical feasibilities and needs future scientific efforts.