A descriptive analysis of disorders in patients 17 years following motor vehicle accidents

Abstract

Whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) are described and analysed 17 years after involvement in a motor vehicle accident. A self-report questionnaire was mailed to 121 patients registered at emergency departments in Gothenburg in 1983 because of neck complaints following a car collision. The questionnaire contained items on symptoms referred to WAD, treatment, work disability, involvement in settlement of claims, medical disability and the Neck Disability Index (NDI). Of the 121 patients, 108 (89%) chose to participate in the present study. Fifty-nine (55%) had residual disorders referable to the original accident. Neck pain, radiating pain and headache were the most common symptoms. One-third of the patients with residual symptoms suffered from work disability, compared to 6% in the group of patients without residual disorders. All 25 patients who had reached a final claim settlement (42%) had a poor outcome, and 15 of the claiming patients had been assigned a medical disability ranging from 5 to 30%. Patients with WAD reported a significantly higher score on the NDI than those without residual disorders. There was no significant correlation between the patients' degree of medical disability and the scores on the NDI. The results of the study show that approximately half of the patients with neck complaints following motor vehicle accidents in Gothenburg in 1983 suffered frequent residual symptoms 17 years after the accident, mostly comprising neck pain, radiating pain, and headache. The residual disorders contributed to the patients' overall disability.

Whiplash injuries in Finland: the situation 3 years later

“…These findings are in good accordance with several other long follow-up studies [2,14]. In our material, WAD classification was significantly associated with poor outcome after 3 years.…”

“…Naturally, there is a danger of a selection bias. However, in our study the prognosis in the long term seems reasonably better than in some other long-term follow-up studies [2,7,14].…”

“…A considerable number of injured have prolonged symptoms. It has been noted that as much as 50% of those with whiplash injuries had residual symptoms 17 years after the accident [2]. Other studies show a general prevalence of neck pain and severe headaches in individuals with a history of neck injury from a car collision [4].…”

Neck pain and disability following motor vehicle accidents?a cohort study

“…This population has previously been described in detail [5]. The group including 154 patients (89 women and 65 men) was diagnosed as having whiplash injuries at the two main hospital emergency rooms in Göteborg in 1983.…”

Injury of the anterior longitudinal ligament during whiplash simulation

“…Approximately 50% of whiplash patients have reported chronic neck pain 15 years after the trauma [3,41]. Various anatomical structures have been identified as potential injury sites, with many recent investigations focusing on the facet joint [1,7,19,21].…”