The Cause of Post Car Accident Neck Pain.

After a car accident, the cause of neck pain may be unknown. Muscles and ligaments can become strained and even inflamed, but they usually heal within six to ten weeks. Pain that lasts longer is usually due to injury to the disk, facet joint, or both. Facet joint pain is the most common cause of chronic neck pain after an accident. Facet joint pain may occur alone or along with disk pain and may sometimes be mistaken for muscle pain.
North American Spine Society, January 2014