Abstract
BackgroundThe clinical consequences of whiplash injuries resulting from a motor vehicle accident (MVA) are poorly understood. Thereby, there is general lack of research on the development of disability in patients with acute and chronic Whiplash Associated Disorders.Methods/DesignThe objective is to describe the design of an inception cohort study with a 1-year follow-up to determine risk factors for the development of symptoms after a low-impact motor vehicle accident, the prognosis of chronic disability, and costs. Victims of a low-impact motor vehicle accident will be eligible for participation. Participants with a Neck Disability Index (NDI) score of 7 or more will be classified as experiencing post-traumatic neck pain and will enter the experimental group. Participants without complaints (a NDI score less than 7) will enter the reference group. The cohort will be followed up by means of postal questionnaires and physical examinations at baseline, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months. Recovery from whiplash-associated disorders will be measured in terms of perceived functional health, and employment status (return to work). Life tables will be generated to determine the 1-year prognosis of whiplash-associated disorders, and risk factors and prognostic factors will be assessed using multiple logistic regression analysis.DiscussionLittle is known about the development of symptoms and chronic disability after a whiplash injury. In the clinical setting, it is important to identify those people who are at risk of developing chronic symptoms.This inception prospective cohort study will provide insight in the influence of risk factors, of the development of functional health problems, and costs in people with whiplash-associated disorders.
Highlights
The clinical consequences of whiplash injuries resulting from a motor vehicle accident (MVA) are poorly understood
The prognosis of these whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) is generally thought to be favourable, a systematic review by Cote et al (2001) found that prognosis may vary according to the population sampled and the compensation system of the geographical area studied[1]
The study consists of two parts, a descriptive study, and a prospective cohort study
Summary
This article outlines the rationale and design of a prospective cohort study of risk factors and prognostic factors for WAD, assessed over 1 year. People who have sustained a whiplash injury may develop symptoms, collectively referred to as WAD. Several factors may explain the transition from post-traumatic impairments to functional limitations and restriction of participation[1,3], but these do not entirely explain the development of chronic WAD after whiplash injury [2932]. It is important to identify those people who are risk of developing chronic symptoms as early as possible. The prognostic factors that play a role in the development of functional health problems, i.e. disability, have not been identified. We have presented the rationale and design of an inception prospective cohort http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2474/9/168 study that investigates the influence of risk factors, internal factors, and external factors of the development of functional health problems, and costs in people with whiplash-associated disorders
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