Computational studies of 'whiplash' injuries.

The term 'whiplash' was initially used to describe injuries to the neck caused by the head being forced backwards during a rear-end collision in cars without head restraints. The addition of head restraints in the 1970s was expected to solve this problem by preventing excessive extension of the neck but experience suggests the problem still exists. This paper reviews available experimental studies of whiplash and uses the data to construct a finite element model which is capable of dynamically simulating whiplash collisions and predicting the forces in all the relevant neck ligaments.