Startle responses elicited by whiplash perturbations

Startle responses elicited by whiplash perturbations
The human startle response produces muscle contractions throughout the body but the most brisk and synchronized contractions appear in the neck muscles. This response, which is greatest with the first exposure to a startling stimulus, could produce excessive and inappropriately directed muscle contractions that could explain the higher incidence of whiplash injuries in people who are unprepared for the collision.The Journal of Physiology