Exams and Tests for Whiplash

Call your spine specialist if you have been in an accident and have neck pain—even if it is minor. During your visit, he or she will ask you questions and perform some exams. This is to try to locate the source of the pain and develop a treatment plan for you—a way to manage your pain and other symptoms and to help you recover.

Your spine specialist will ask you questions about your current symptoms and remedies you may have already tried.

Typical Diagnostic Questions

• When did the pain start?
• What activities did you recently do?
• What have you done for your neck pain?
• Does the pain radiate or travel to other parts of your body?
• Does anything lessen the pain or make it worse?

Although whiplash usually only causes damage to the soft tissues of the neck, your spine specialist may take x-rays for reference in case of delayed symptoms—and to rule out other spinal problems or injuries like bone fractures. If it’s possible you have a herniated disc (injured and bulging out) or a significant muscle or ligament injury, your doctor may order a Computerized Axial Tomography scan (a CT or CAT scan) or a Magnetic Resonance Imaging test (an MRI). These tests are better equipped to identify soft tissue injuries than x-rays.

Note: Even if your car doesn’t seem to be damaged after an accident, you may be injured. Whether or not you show immediate symptoms, you should be thoroughly examined by a spine specialist.