Cervical Strain

A common injury encountered in the emergency department is a cervical strain. A cervical strain is caused by stretch damage to the cervical spine's muscular and ligamentous parts. This syndrome, which is frequently caused by trauma from falls or motor vehicle accidents, causes great distress to patients, but with proper therapy, it usually has few long-term consequences. The popular name whiplash was used to cover these injuries, as well as the more comprehensive whiplash-associated diseases, due to the high-speed injury mechanisms.

Neck strain and neck sprain are sometimes used interchangeably. While a sprain is an injury to a ligament, the pain and stiffness experienced in both a strain and a sprain are often comparable and resolve on their own before a formal diagnosis is sought.