Treatment Of Whiplash Injury Research Articles

Treatment-Related Reductions in Disability Are Associated with Reductions in Perceived Injustice Following Treatment of Whiplash Injury

Emerging evidence suggests that perceived injustice is a risk factor for poor recovery outcomes in individuals with whiplash injuries. The present study examined the relative contributions of treatment-related reductions in pain severity, depressive symptoms, and disability in the prediction of reductions in perceived injustice in individuals with whiplash injury. The study sample consisted of 71 individuals (43 women and 28 men) who sustained whiplash injuries in motor vehicle accidents and who were enrolled in a treatment program designed to promote functional recovery following whiplash injury. For the purposes of this study, only individuals who scored above the risk threshold on a measure of perceived injustice were included in the study sample. Participants completed measures of pain severity, disability, depressive symptomatology, and perceived injustice prior to treatment and after treatment. Change scores were computed for study variables. The results revealed that reductions in pain severity and disability were correlated with reductions in perceived injustice. Regression analyses revealed that only reductions in disability contributed significant unique variance to the prediction of reductions in perceived injustice. Clinical and theoretical implications of the present findings are discussed.

The effectiveness of infrared thermography in patients with whiplash injury.

ObjectiveThis study aims to visualize the subjective symptoms before and after the treatment of whiplash injury using infrared (IR) thermography.MethodsIR thermography was performed for 42 patients who were diagnosed with whiplash injury. There were 19 male and 23 female patients. The mean age was 43.12 years. Thermal differences (ΔT) in the neck and shoulder and changes in the thermal differences (ΔdT) before and after treatment were analyzed. Pain after injury was evaluated using visual analogue scale (VAS) before and after treatment (ΔVAS). The correlations between ΔdT and ΔVAS results before and after the treatment were examined. We used Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging equipment of Dorex company for IR thermography.ResultsThe skin temperature of the neck and shoulder immediately after injury showed 1-2℃ hyperthermia than normal. After two weeks, the skin temperature was normal range. ΔT after immediately injuy was higher than normal value, but it was gradually near the normal value after two weeks. ΔdT before and after treatment were statistically significant (p<0.05). VAS of the neck and shoulder significantly reduced after 2 week (p=0.001). Also, there was significant correlation between ΔdT and reduced ΔVAS (the neck; r=0.412, p<0.007) (the shoulder; r=0.648, p<0.000).ConclusionThe skin temperature of sites with whiplash injury is immediately hyperthermia and gradually decreased after two weeks, finally it got close to normal temperature. These were highly correlated with reduced VAS. IR thermography can be a reliable tool to visualize the symptoms of whiplash injury and the effectiveness of treatment in clinical settings.

Double-door laminoplasty for treatment of cervical whiplash injury

Objective To analyze efficacy of double door laminoplasty for treatment of whiplash injury of the cervical spine.Methods Forty-one cases of cervical whiplash injury treated surgically from January 2001 to October 2011 and available to follow up were analyzed retrospectively.There were 32 males and 9 females with mean age of (51.0 ± 12.0) years (range,28 to 74 years).Causes of injury included traffic accidents in 30 cases,fall on the ground in 8,and high fall in 3.All cases were combined with developmental cervical stenosis and six with ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament.Posterior double-door laminoplasty was operated in 36 cases and one-stage surgery via anterior-posterior approach in 5 cases.Cases were grouped according to their ages,preoperative cervical Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score,and operation time.Results were compared among groups.Results Operation lasted for 70-180 minutes (mean,121.9 minutes) and showed blood loss of 30-500 ml (mean,177.8 ml).All cases were followed up for 12 to 110 months (mean,59.4 months).Overall JOA score averaging 14.7 points improved significantly after operation with mean improvement rate of 77.8％ (P ＜0.01).Whereas between non-elderly and elderly groups,postoperative JOA improvement rate [(79.6 ± 18.8)％ vs (73.5 ±22.8)％] and excellent rate (90％ vs 83％) were similar.For cases grouped according to their preoperative JOA score,the results were satisfactory for all groups,but the differences were insignificant.Besides,JOA score at the last follow-up differed significantly among groups (P ＜ 0.0l).Improvement rate of JOA score was better in early surgery group than in late surgery group [(84.6±13.3)％ vs (75.4±24.0)％,P＜0.05].Conclusions Double door laminoplasty is reliable in treatment of cervical whiplash injury on condition that surgical indications are grasped strictly.Elderly or gravely injured patients can also have considerable recovery of neurological function,but patients with severe injury or late surgery are associated with poor prognosis. Key words: Spinal cord injuries; Cervical vertebrae; Whiplash injury

The role of physiotherapy in the treatment of whiplash associated disorders: a prospective study

Prospective longitudinal study to evaluate the effect of physiotherapy on whiplash associated disorders (WAD). A total of 141 patients suffering from grades I-III WAD after a road traffic accident were employed. Validated neck Bournemouth Questionnaire was used in order to look at the effect of treatment on the symptoms. The mean age was 40 (+/-14) years. The mean length of the treatment was 6 (+/-3.4) weeks. The mean individual effect size was 0.97 (95% CI 0.8-1.2). A total of 67% of the patients who started their treatment in the first 3 months post-injury improved compared to 48% in those who started physiotherapy after 3 months (P = 0.025). In both groups the applied treatment almost halved the number of patients taken sick leave. Physiotherapy is effective in the treatment of whiplash injury, especially in order to get the patients fit to go back to their previous employment.

Whiplash: diagnosis, treatment, and associated injuries

Study design Focused review of the current literature. Objective To identify and synthesize the most current data pertaining to the diagnosis and treatment of whiplash and whiplash-associated disorders (WAD), and to report on whiplash-related injuries. Methods A search of OVID Medline (1996–January 2007) and the Cochrane database of systematic reviews was performed using the keywords whiplash and WAD. Articles under subheadings for pathology, diagnosis, treatment, and epidemiology were chosen for review after identification by the authors. Results A total of 485 articles in the English language literature were identified. Thirty-six articles pertained to the diagnosis, treatment, epidemiology of whiplash, and WAD, and were eligible for focused review. From these, 21 primary and 15 secondary sources were identified for full review. In addition, five articles were found that focused on whiplash associated cervical injuries. These five articles were also primary sources. Conclusions Whiplash is a common injury associated most often with motor vehicle accidents. It may present with a variety of clinical manifestations, collectively termed WAD. Whiplash is an important cause of chronic disability. Many controversies exist regarding the diagnosis and treatment of whiplash injuries. The multifactorial etiology, believed to underly whiplash injuries, make management highly variable between patients. Radiographic evidence of injury often cannot be identified in the acute phase. Recent studies suggest early mobilization may lead to improved outcomes. Ligamentous and bony injuries may go undetected at initial presentation leading to delayed diagnosis and inappropriate therapies.

HWS-Distorsionstrauma (sog. Schleudertrauma) – Ein Update

Whiplash injuries of the cervical spine are of paramount clinical and socioeconomic importance. To date, many problems in regard to diagnosis, classification, treatment and assessment have not been sufficiently solved. Diagnosis is often made subjectively and the ideal mode of treatment is still the subject of controversy. Scientific progress has lead to the development of a prognostic classification system, objective diagnostic tests, different treatment modalities and, perhaps most importantly, the production of more secure automobiles. Current scientific evidence of the assessment and treatment of whiplash injuries is only partially integrated into clinical routine, although modern strategies of combining medicamentous therapy with early physiotherapy has shown good results. Clear dignostic criteria and treatment guidelines would conquer the cost explosion associated with whiplash injuries largely evident in the Swiss-German population.

Adjuvant laser acupuncture in the treatment of whiplash injuries: a prospective, randomized placebo-controlled trial

Following introduction of the compulsory use of seat belts in cars, whiplash injuries of the cervical spine have become common in everyday practice. Current treatment approaches lead to resolution of the symptoms within a short time in most cases but cannot prevent a small proportion of patients developing persistent health problems. The effects of adjuvant treatment with laser acupuncture on the acute symptoms and the results one year after the injury were studied in this prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled single-blind study. One group of patients (n = 23) were treated with laser acupuncture (5 mW HeNe laser on 22 acupuncture points for 15 s each) plus cervical collar and a combination of paracetamol and chlormezanone; a second group (n = 22) received the same treatments but with the use of a placebo laser. The treatment was given three times per week until the patient was asymptomatic. No statistically significant advantage of the laser acupuncture treatment was found in the acute phase (mobility in all three planes, duration of pain and duration of use of a cervical collar) or the chronic phase (drug use and the incidences of chronic recurrent problems such as myofascial pain, headaches, vertigo and tinnitus). Adjuvant laser acupuncture with a 5 mW HeNe laser and an irradiation time of 15 s appears to be ineffective in the management of whiplash injuries.

Treatment of Whiplash Injuries with Acupuncture

Structural trauma and complications to soft tissues of the vertebral column constitute a solid physiological basis for the chronic, often disabling pain in “whiplash syndrome” patients. In 55 whiplash cases, we administered acupuncture alone as therapy for reducing pain. By accelerating the normal physiological processes of recovery in soft tissues without undue aggravation to them, acupuncture to certain trigger sites along injured tissues rapidly heals trauma, thereby reducing pain. Given positive results (75–91%) in cases often plagued by chronic injuries and complications, we conclude that acupuncture is a very effective, practical treatment alternative for soft tissue injuries.

Treatment of whiplash injuries by nerve-block

Treatment of whiplash injuries by nerve-block

K-7. Surgical Treatment of Whiplash Injury with Special Reference to Barré-Liéou Syndrome

k-7. Surgical Treatment of Whiplash Injury with Special Reference to Barré-Liéou Syndrome