Whiplash is one of the most common injuries sustained in automobile accidents. It occurs during the impact of your accident when your neck is forcibly "whipped" back and forth and side to side past its normal range of motion. Whiplash affects the muscles and tissues in your back and neck. You may feel stiffness, back pain and neck pain immediately or it could take days, weeks even months for your symptoms to appear. It is crucial to treat whiplash immediately even if you are not yet experiencing neck or back pain.