RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EARLY SOMANTIC, RADIOLOGICAL, CONGNITIVE AND PSYCHOSOCIAL FINDINGS AND OUTCOME DURING A ONE-YEAR FOLLOW-UP IN 117 PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM COMMON WHIPLASH

Abstract

To analyse the significance of the interply between somatic and psychosocial factors in influencing the course of recovery a non-selected well defined group of 117 whiplash patients was investigated. Initial examination was performed, on average, 7.2±4.2 days after trauma and follo-ups were carried out at 3, 6 and 12 months. At the initial investigation all patients were given a neurological examination, congnitive and psychosocial factor assessment and cervical spine X-rays. At each follow-up stepwise regression was performed to evaluted the relationship between inital findings and the course of recovery. Fifty-one (44%), 36(31%) and 28(24%) patients were symptomatic at 3, 6 and 12 months respectively. Poor improvement at all examiniation was significntly correlated with factors associated with severity of injury such as intial symptoms of radicular irritation and intensity of neck pain. Moreover, results indicate that poor recovery is realted to severity of injury in addition to some pre-traumatic factors(previously history of head trauma and headache). However, Psychosocial factors did not prove predictive at any follow-up examination. These results indiacte that synmptoms suggesting a more severe neck injury appear to be particularly related to delayed recovery from common whiplash. Moreover these results may be of value in the objective evalutuion of potentially difficult claims compensation, which may in some cases be falsely based.