The
Lingering Effects of Whiplash
Soft-tissue Injuries
of the Cervical Spine 15-year Follow-up
Key Points from Dan Murphy
1)
At a mean of 15.5 years post whiplash trauma,
70% of whiplash-injured patients continued to complain of symptoms referable to
the original accident.
2)
Long-term symptoms from whiplash injury include
neck pain, arm paresthesia, back pain, headache, dizziness, and tinnitus.
3)
Women and older patients have a worse outcome
from whiplash injuries.
4)
Radiating arm pain is more common in those with
severe symptoms.
5)
Between 10 and 15 years after the accident, 18%
of the patients had improved, whereas 28% had deteriorated.
7)
Most whiplash-injured patients reach their final
state by two years after being injured, but this study shows ongoing symptom
fluctuation between years 10 to 15.
8)
At the 15-year follow-up, neck pain was present
in 65% and low-back pain was present in 48%.
9)
80% of women and 50% of men continued to have
symptoms at 15 years.
10)
Back pain and tinnitus increased between years
10 and 15.
11)
Symptoms remained static in 54%, improved in 18%
and worsened in 28%.
12)
Degenerative changes are associated with a worse
prognosis for recovery.
13)
60% of symptomatic patients had not seen a
doctor in the previous five years because the doctors were unable to help them.
14)
18% had taken early retirement due to health
problems, which they related to the whiplash injury.
15)
Whiplash symptoms do not improve after
settlement of litigation.
16)
Most radiating pain is referral from the facets,
and not radicular.
17)
Chronic whiplash symptoms will cause an abnormal
psychological assessment after 3 months.
18)
In this study, 100% of patients with severe
ongoing problems had cervical spine degeneration.
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