Pathology and Treatment of Traumatic Cervical Spine Syndrome: Whiplash Injury

Table 3

Clinical spectrum of whiplash-associated disorders as proposed by the Quebec Task Force [2].

Grade	Presumed pathology	Clinical presentation
I	Microscopic or multimicroscopic lesion; Lesion is not serious enough to cause muscle spasm	Usually presents to a doctor more than 24 h after trauma
II	Neck sprain and bleeding around soft tissue (articular capsules, ligaments, tendons, and muscles); Muscle spasm secondary to soft tissue injury	Usually presents to a doctor in the first 24 h after trauma
		Nonspecific radiation to the head, face, occipital region, shoulder, and arm form soft tissues injuries
		Neck pain with limited range of motion due to muscle spasm
III	Injuries to neurologic system by mechanical injury or by irritation secondary to bleeding or inflammation	Presents to a doctor usually within a few hours after the trauma
		Limited range of motion combined with neurologic symptoms and signs