The Whiplash Encyclopedia

Book excerpt: With the second edition of The Whiplash Encyclopedia, Robert Ferrari revisits the notion that whiplash is an example of illness induced by society, in general, and by physicians in particular. The second edition takes the work out of understanding all the different dimensions of whiplash, be it why some people get chronic neck pain and others do not, what causes jaw pain, what therapies work and which do not, how we can understand the effect that psychosocial factors have on recovery, what effect litigation and insurance systems have on recovery, and many other topics. The Whiplash Encyclopedia leaves no topic on whiplash uncovered, and can be used in any medicolegal practice. The next time you have a question about whiplash, the answer is likely to be found in The Whiplash Encyclopedia. The Whiplash Encyclopedia, Second Edition explores new theories being heralded to explain chronic whiplash; discusses Central Sensitization; and includes a new chapter in whiplash mythology. In addition, it expands on the knowledge of what causes (and what does not cause) the many neurological and cognitive symptoms reported by whiplash patients. The second edition also investigates the Whiplash Cultures and countries where chronic whiplash is epidemic and examines those cultures by laying them next to countries that, despite having motor vehicle collisions as frequently as elsewhere in the world, and frequently having physicians diagnose acute whiplash, rarely or uncommonly has anyone taking the stage as chronic whiplash characters.