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For the table of contents of the EXTRACT of the compendium.

Part 0,2: Introduction.

2. What is the "whiplash" mechanism? A definition.

When discussing these types of injuries different types of mechanisms are often mixed together. It seems quite clear that the neck region and the head itself might be exposed to different kinds of loads whether the head itself is exposed to a force acting directly onto it causing an inclination of the neck or if it's exposed to a free swinging motion along a curved path related to the rest of the body.

I find it necessary to define a head exposed to a "whiplash" mechanism to be a head moving like a free swinging body.

Of course actual occasions might be a combination of more mechanisms. And of course such a free movement may occur in many other situations than in car accidents only. When I in my studies has concentrated on car accidents it's because of such events involves objects with a high difference between the masses giving very high changes in the velocities of the body.

3. What do we know about the "Whiplash-syndrome"?

Though the "whiplash-mechanism" may occur in many different situations, it is the relations between consequences after being exposed to a rear-end collision it has been concentrated on when talking about the so called "whiplash-injuries" or "whiplash-syndrome".

In Norway there are more than 100.000 rear-end collisions a year (1988). This number has been increasing both in number and in the percentage of the total number of traffic accidents. It is registered about 4000 neck injuries a year caused by rear-end collisions. In 1988 was every fifth registered injury to persons a neck injury. (The Norwegian assurance company Gjensidige.) Every rear-end collision involves an acceleration of the persons inside the car and most of them will have been affected by the "whiplash-mechanism" in some degree. With more than 100.000 collisions, the total number of persons exposed in such accidents must be higher. This means the percentage of injuries to persons exposed to rear-end collisions must be significant lower than 4 %. Among these about 10 % will have lasting consequences of some kind.

Nevertheless, it's a common comprehension here in Norway: " The "Whiplash-injuries" are a typical Norwegian suffering." No other countries have so many injuries. In some countries they seems almost unknown. Many of the "injuries" are caused by the opportunity to get a good insurance paid or they are hypocrites. Reading medical articles from abroad gives a similar picture of other countries. Facing all the papers and studies done on this subject in many countries it seems a bit odd to me why they are doing all this if they do not face the problem.

One answer to this question may be an interesting study carried out in the Norwegian insurance company Gjensidige as late as in January 1993. This study says in it's conclusion: "There are no more lasting injuries to persons caused by rear-end collisions in Norway than in other countries with which we may compare." May one answer to that question be: "In other countries they are better in the diagnosing, and do not use a mechanism, with consequences we know covers all degrees of suffers from light, short lasting pain to death, as a medical diagnose?"

In Part C of this document I am describing how the external mechanism working in a rear-end collision affects the anatomy of the human body. I do this well aware of not being a medical expert. But I say: "You do not need to be a geologist to read and use a map." But I have of course studied these maps closely.

Only as exceptions I describe injuries I can confirm, mainly I tell how the forces acting in such an incident will affect different type of structures. There have to be a logic connection between how the acting forces affects parts of the body, how large they are and how long they are allowed to act, and "if, what and where" immediate injuries might be expected.

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The contents of, or any part of this compendium, are not allowed to be made public or copied without my permission.