A 34 year old mother of two children was struck in the rear of her stopped car by another vehicle which had run through an intersection. The patient's head was thrown forward and backwards sustaining a "whiplash" type of injury. She had rather severe neck pain and headaches.
X-rays were normal. She was prescribed analgesics, muscle relaxants, and anti-inflammatory medications, removed from the cervical collar placed on her in the emergency room, and initiated a course of physical therapy.
The therapy included deep massage, heat, electrical stimulation, manual and mechanical cervical traction.
She received several Cortisone and Lidocaine injections to "trigger points" in the muscles of the neck and shoulders.
She was able to resume all of her usual activities within six weeks. Her headaches, generated by her neck spasm resolved.