Your neck still hurts from that collision.
Whiplash happens when a sudden force — most often a rear-end car accident — snaps the neck forward and back faster than the muscles can brace, straining the soft tissue inside. The pain and stiffness that follow can linger for weeks or months, but with the right care most people recover fully.
Your doctor may call this a cervical sprain, cervical strain, or hyperextension-hyperflexion injury.
Often seen within a few days — sometimes as soon as tomorrowRequest your first visit
Pick a day and time that works at a NASPAC office near you — we'll call you right back to lock it in.
No referral needed. We verify your insurance before you arrive.
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A NASPAC team member from a NASPAC office near you will reach out to confirm your visit and answer any questions.
What whiplash really is.
Whiplash is a soft-tissue injury to the cervical spine. In a collision, the head accelerates rapidly backward and then forward — or vice versa — stretching and sometimes tearing the muscles, ligaments, and joint capsules in the neck well beyond their comfortable range. The damage isn't usually visible on a standard X-ray, which is one reason whiplash is often dismissed, but the pain it causes is very real.
What makes whiplash complicated is that symptoms don't always appear immediately. Many people feel fine after a crash and only develop significant stiffness, headache, or shoulder pain over the following 24 to 72 hours as inflammation builds. This delay is normal — it doesn't mean the injury is less serious.
The good news
The majority of whiplash injuries heal with appropriate early treatment. Prompt evaluation, targeted physical therapy, and — when needed — image-guided injections to calm inflamed facet joints can significantly shorten recovery time and reduce the risk of chronic symptoms. The key is getting a proper assessment rather than waiting to see if it improves on its own.
Facet joints and soft-tissue staging
Most post-whiplash pain comes from the cervical facet joints and surrounding soft tissue rather than disc herniation. We use the Quebec Classification of Whiplash-Associated Disorders (Grade I–IV) to stage severity and guide the workup. Grades I–II — pain and stiffness without neurological signs — are the most common and respond well to targeted conservative and interventional care.
Common signs we treat.
Neck stiffness after impact
Limited range of motion and a feeling of tightness throughout the cervical spine — often worst 24 to 48 hours after the injury as inflammation peaks, and easing gradually with appropriate treatment.
Headaches from the base of the skull
A persistent headache that originates at the back of the neck and radiates forward — a hallmark of upper cervical joint and muscle involvement after a whiplash mechanism.
Shoulder and upper-back pain
Aching in the trapezius muscles, upper back, or between the shoulder blades, as the muscles that were overloaded during the impact tighten and refer pain to adjacent areas.
From hurting to healed.
We work from the least-invasive options upward, escalating only if you need it. Most patients improve well before surgery is ever discussed.
Diagnose the cause
A physician examines you and, if needed, reviews imaging to pinpoint exactly what's driving the pain.
Calm it down
Targeted physical therapy, activity guidance, and medication to settle the irritation and reduce inflammation.
Image-guided injections
If pain persists, a precisely targeted injection delivered to the source under imaging.
Advanced options
For the few who need more, minimally invasive interventional procedures — with surgery as a last resort.
Treatment is matched to your specific diagnosis at your visit. The options shown reflect NASPAC's general approach and should be confirmed against the practice's verified procedure list.
Still have questions?
Most mild to moderate whiplash injuries improve significantly within six to twelve weeks with appropriate treatment. A subset of patients develop chronic symptoms — ongoing pain at the six-month mark — especially when early treatment is delayed or inadequate. Starting care soon after the injury is the single biggest factor in reducing the risk of a chronic course.
Pain can begin immediately, but it's very common for stiffness and headache to develop over the next 24 to 72 hours as inflammation sets in. If you were in an accident and felt fine at the scene but are now developing neck symptoms, that delay is entirely normal — it doesn't mean the injury is less real or less worth treating.
Yes, especially if you have any neck pain or stiffness, even mild. Evaluation within a few days allows us to document the injury, rule out anything more serious, and start treatment before symptoms entrench. Whiplash that's treated early and appropriately tends to resolve much faster than whiplash that's observed and waited out.
Active rehabilitation — guided neck exercises and physical therapy — is the cornerstone of whiplash recovery and outperforms rest and collar immobilization. For persistent or severe pain, image-guided cervical facet injections can significantly reduce inflammation and allow therapy to progress. We tailor the plan to your grade of injury and how you're responding.
Stop living with the whiplash pain.
Book with a board-certified pain physician near you — most patients are seen within days.
Book an appointment → Or call (855) 862-7767