SPINAL CONDITIONS
Spinal trauma
The most common cause of trauma to the spine is whiplash injury, whether resulting from car accident, sports injury, a fall or being aggressively shaken or punched. In an accident, the neck sprain or strain of a whiplash affects of soft tissues of the neck and upper back, as muscles and ligaments get over-stretched by the forces of an accident. Pain may start immediately or develop over days or even months following an accident, and may be experienced in the neck, shoulder and upper back, accompanied by tightness or spasms of the muscles in these areas and burning or tingling. Whiplash is also associated with long term problems such as osteoarthritis and premature disc degeneration of the spine.