With whiplash, one of the more common problems is that the muscles in the front of the neck (SCM and Lonus Colli) get injured and spasm.  They straighten the normal curvature in the neck and overload the tissues.  This can cause headaches, dizziness, neck pain, shoulder pain, and upper back pain.  After the first 2 weeks, the deep neck flexors become weak and the head begins to feel heavy.  This can cause more headaches, ear symptoms, and jaw pain.  Treatment should focus on special exercises to get the deep neck flexors to do more of the work.

In rear end accidents and some others, the cervical facet joints can become injured and produce neck pain, headache pain, and shoulder pain.  This pain can also cause the deep stabilizing muscles of the neck to become weak.  Treatment should focus on special exercises to strengthen these muscles.

 Step 1-Getting the normal curve back is essential!

While most patients with whiplash have this problem, some have other problems. How do you know if you have this problem?  First, try the towel roll trick...

Step 2-Reactivate Deep Neck Flexors

Step 3-Reactivate Deep Cervical Stabilizers