SYMPTOMATOLOGY OF THE CERVICAL WHIPLASH COULD BE INFLUENCED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE TRAFFIC ACCIDENT

Abstract

 Introduction: the aim of this study is to clarify whether there are any circumstances of the accident involving an association with the symptoms and their evolution. Material and method: a descriptive study was performed, in which sociodemographic variables on the characteristics of the accident, and the symptoms presented by the patient were studied. We had 40 sujects diagnosed with whiplash participating in the study, who came to the rehabilitation service Clinica La Luz (Madrid). Regarding symptoms, they were asked about the existence of dizziness, headache, tingling or numbness in upper limbs. We also performed an assessment of the pain through the Visual Analogic Scale (VAS)and functionality of neck through the Nortwick Park Neck Pain Questionnaire (NPH). The latter two measures of pain and function were assessed at baseline and after 10 sessions of physiotherapy. Results: the results show that there is some relationship between patient symptoms with some features related to the accident. For example, the immediate roadside assistance entailed lower pain scores. Also, taking the place of copilot turned out to be a protective factor at the time of the initial manifestation of symptoms. By contrast, we found no association between changes in pain and function and the circumstances encompassing the accident. Conclusions: further studies that investigate this issue with larger number of samples are required, since it is difficult to discern what most influences the symptoms experienced by patients. On top of this, everything is complicated by the existence of medico-legal interests of patients.