Personal injury news

New research published concerning whiplash causes

Whiplash is a common neck injury and a recent study into its causes has provided incredible insight and hope for new ways of whiplash prevention.

Much research has pointed towards rear-end car crashes being the major cause of whiplash injury.

It is generally thought that those involved in such collisions sustain whiplash injury as a result of sudden acceleration and deceleration of the body, otherwise known as the whiplash motion. This causes damage to the muscles and ligaments in the neck and results in significant pain and discomfort.

However, new research published in The Journal of Physiology suggests that startle reflexes brought about by unexpected loud sounds could be a contributing factor to whiplash injury.

During the investigation, subjects were exposed to rear-end collisions, some of which were accompanied by loud sounds. This showed that a considerable part of the muscle reaction in a collision arises through being startled by the abrupt motion as well as the loud sound of the impact.

Therefore, the loud sound played a major role in the process leading up to the whiplash injury being sustained.