For patients with whiplash-associated disorder, determining if low risk factors are present for ROM assessment helps decide whether radiographic evaluation is needed.

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In whiplash management, you don’t jump straight to imaging. You first use a ROM-based risk assessment to decide if it’s safe to perform range of motion testing and, based on that, whether imaging is needed.

If low risk factors for ROM assessment are present, you can carry out ROM testing to look for signs of instability or abnormal motion. The results of that ROM assessment then guide the need for radiographic evaluation. If ROM is normal and there are no red flags, imaging may be avoided. If ROM is limited or there are concerning features, radiographs are indicated to rule out fracture or instability.

So radiographic evaluation is the step determined by the ROM risk assessment—the test is about deciding whether imaging is necessary. ROM assessment itself is the screening tool, while observation or physical therapy are management steps rather than imaging decisions.