Whiplash injury to the cervical spine and its possible long-term sequelae, the late (or chronic) whiplash syndrome, are analysed based on a clearly defined accident mechanism and an initial battery of investigations to exclude lesions other than those affecting the soft tissue of the neck region (i.e. the consequences of strain and sprain). Predictors are discussed that may point to a delayed and complicated recovery, with development of a complex array of symptoms. The pattern of this symptomatology, as reviewed on the basis of different neuropsychological investigations, appears inhomogeneous. Comparison with other non-traumatic conditions, such as the chronic fatigue syndrome, the fibromyalgia syndrome and chronic daily headache, as well as with chronic disturbances of cervical origin, reveals striking similarities. In cases of litigation, these circumstances require careful assessment of the patient's previous history and an extensive differential diagnosis. Whiplash injury to the cervical spine rarely results in disability and, if so, is only minor.