What are the 4 phases of whiplash?

The four phases of whiplash describe what happens to your neck in a fraction of a second during a rear end crash. First, your seat pushes your torso forward while your head stays put. Second, your neck forms an S shape as the lower vertebrae extend and the upper ones still flex, which is where a lot of the damage happens. Third, your whole head snaps backward into extension. Fourth, your head whips forward into flexion, straining everything along the back of your neck. The entire sequence takes about a quarter of a second, faster than you can brace. That is why whiplash happens even in low speed crashes. At Muskingum County Accident & Injury Center in Zanesville, Dr. Byus evaluates the damage that sequence leaves behind.