A 50-year-old realtor comes to your office for evaluation of neck pain. She was in a motor vehicle collision 2 days ago and was assessed by the emergency medical technicians on site, but she didn't think that she needed to go to the emergency room at that time. Now, she has severe pain and stiffness in her neck. On physical examination, you note pain and spasm over the paraspinous muscles on the left side of the neck, and pain when you make the patient do active range of motion of the cervical spine. What is the most likely cause of this neck pain?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The patient most likely has an acute whiplash injury secondary to the collision. The features of the physical examination, local tenderness and pain on movement, are consistent with cervical sprain.

A 50-Year-Old Realtor Comes to Your Office for Evaluation of Neck