Question

A 19 year old female present to Accident and Emergency having been in a road traffic collision the previous day. She was sat at the traffic light in the driver's seat when she was hit from behind by a van. She was shaken but had no pain at the time. She now has posterior pain and tenderness above the spine of each scapula. You diagnose her with whiplash. Which muscle will be most tender on the palpation?

Answer 1

Whiplash is a common injury that occurs to a person's neckfollowing a sudden acceleration-deceleration force that causes unrestrained , rapid forward and backward movement of the head and neck, most commonly from motor vehicle accidents.

Whiplash symptoms are :

• Tenderness along back of neck and shoulders
• Neck swelling
• Muscle spasm in anterior and posterior cervical spines or trapezius

Since the patient has tenderness above the spine of each scapula, trapezius muscle will be most tender on palpation.