[6] In the United States, it is estimated that more than 65% of all bodily injury claims are whiplash related, translating to around $8 billion in economic costs per year.

[7] Before the invention of the car, whiplash injuries were called "railway spine" as they were noted mostly in connection with train collisions.

The "missing link" of whiplash may be towards or inside the shoulder and this would explain why neck therapy alone frequently does not give lasting relief.

[12][13][14][15][16] Cognitive symptoms following whiplash trauma, such as being easily distracted or irritated, seems to be common and possibly linked to a poorer prognosis.

[citation needed] Whiplash may be caused by any motion similar to a rear-end collision in a motor vehicle, such as may take place on a roller coaster[19] or other rides at an amusement park, sports injuries such as skiing accidents, other modes of transportation such as airplane travel, or from being hit, kicked or shaken.

[citation needed] However, over the last decade, academic surgeons in the UK and US have sought to unravel the whiplash enigma.

[12] Another study[22] suggested that "shneck pain" was in the nearby supraspinatus muscle and this resulted from a seemingly asymptomatic form of shoulder impingement.

[citation needed] There are four phases that occur during "whiplash": Initial position (before the collision); retraction; extension; and rebound.

[citation needed] Diagnosis occurs through a patient history, head and neck examination, X-rays to rule out bone fractures and may involve the use of medical imaging to determine if there are other injuries.

[29] The focus of preventive measures to date has been on the design of car seats, primarily through the introduction of head restraints, often called headrests.

This approach is potentially problematic given the underlying assumption that purely mechanical factors cause whiplash injuries — an unproven theory.

So far the injury reducing effects of head restraints appears to have been low, approximately 5–10%, because car seats have become stiffer in order to increase crashworthiness of cars in high-speed rear-end collisions which in turn could increase the risk of whiplash injury in low-speed rear impact collisions.

[3] For the last 40 years, vehicle safety researchers have been designing and gathering information on the ability of head restraints to mitigate injuries resulting from rear-end collisions.

[citation needed] A major issue in whiplash prevention is the lack of proper adjustment of the seat safety system by both drivers and passengers.

[citation needed] In most passenger vehicles where manually adjustable head restraints are fitted, proper use requires sufficient knowledge and awareness by occupants.

[citation needed] Due to low public awareness of the consequence of incorrect positioning of head restraints, some passenger vehicle manufactures have designed and implemented a range of devices into their models to protect their occupants.

[citation needed] Some current systems are: The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and other testing centers around the world have been involved in testing the effectiveness of head restraint and seat systems in laboratory conditions to assess their ability to prevent or mitigate whiplash injuries.

[38] Current research supports that active mobilization rather than a soft collar results in a more prompt recovery both in the short[39] and long term[40] perspective.

[44] Return to normal activities of daily living should be encouraged as soon as possible to maximize and expedite full recovery.

Patients who entered a rehabilitation program said they were able to control their pain, they continued to use strategies that were taught to them, and were able to go back to their daily activities.

[46] A Cochrane review published in 2007 found that evidence neither supports nor refutes the effectiveness conservative treatments including physiotherapy, acupuncture, or a collar to treat Grades 1 or 2.

[47] According to the recommendations made by the Quebec Task Force, treatment for individuals with whiplash associated disorders grade 1–3 may include non-narcotic analgesics.

[48] According to a year long follow-up study in 2008 on 186 patients, the WAD-classification and Quebec Task Force regimen were not linked to better clinical outcomes.

[40][51] Alterations in resting state cerebral blood flow have been demonstrated in patients with chronic pain after whiplash injury.

[56] Whiplash can occur at speeds of fifteen miles per hour or less; it is the sudden jolt, as one car hits another, that causes one's head to be abruptly thrown back and sideways.

[55] Altogether it is of note that, especially in many Western countries, after a motor vehicle collision those involved seek health care for the assessment of injuries and for insurance documentation purposes.

[60] Thus, important work by Schrader et al. in The Lancet showed that late whiplash syndrome after a motor vehicle collision is rare or uncommon in Lithuania,[61] and Cassidy et al.'s conclusion in the New England Journal of Medicine is that "the elimination of compensation for pain and suffering is associated with a decreased incidence and improved prognosis of whiplash injury".

[62] Moreover, an experimental study in 2001 places participants in a stationary vehicle with a curtain blocking their rear view, and exposed them to a simulated rear-end collision.