Lashing out against the term "whiplash"
CMAJ 1998;159:138
I read with interest the article "BC tackles whiplash-injury problem" (CMAJ 1998;158[8]:1003-5 [full text]), by Heather Kent. As a physician who does shifts in the emergency department, I try to avoid using the term "whiplash" because I don't think it accurately describes the injury. I suspect that the word conjures up negative images in patients who have experienced what I prefer to call a "flexion–extension injury" — it may even invite litigation.
I strongly encourage physicians to adopt a term other than whiplash in describing these injuries to patients.
Jeffrey R. Sloan, MD
Napanee, Ont.
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