THERAPEUTIC EXERCISE AND EDUCATIONAL AND SELF-MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR THE TREATMENT OF WHIPLASH-ASSOCIATED DISORDERS. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Abstract

Objective: to review the available scientific knowledge on whether a strategy combining therapeutic exercise and/or education, or self-management techniques is a more effective than any other therapeutic intervention in whiplash injuries. Material and method: a literature search was conducted in PubMed Central, Web of Science and PEDro with the following inclusion criteria: randomized controlled trials published between 2012 and 2017, classifying the pathology according to the Quebec Task Force and comparing at least one intervention based on therapeutic exercise and /or education or self-management techniques. Results: we obtained 3.587 results, 13 of which were included to the narrative synthesis. The quality of the studies included varied between medium and high. These studies analyzed a variety of outcome measures that included: cervical function, disability, pain, cervical and global physical function, psychological variables, adherence and satisfaction. Conclusions: specific cervical  exercise  together with  educational  and  self-management  strategies  improved  the  analyzed  outcome measures and seem to be an effective therapeutic strategy. They could be used together, displacing unimodal strategies and passive modalities, which should be used as coadjutants and not as therapeutic axes. Neck-specific exercise is superior to global exercise and to waiting list, but we cannot establish any specific program to be superior to another.