PREDICTING RECOVERY FROM COMMON WHIPLASH

The present study aimed to establish criteria for delayed recovery aft er whiplash injury using a 1-year prospective cohort study. 117 whipla sh patients referred from primary care and 16 whiplash patients recrui ted from the insurance company. At baseline all patients underwent neu rological, radiological and psychosocial factors assessment and testin g of personality traits, wellbeing, cognitive ability and cognitive fu nctioning. According to the logistic regression in patients referred f rom primary care the following initial variables are in significant re lationship with poor outcome at 1 year: impaired neck movement, histor y of pretraumatic headache, history of head trauma, higher age, initia l neck pain intensity, initial headache intensity, nervousness score, neuroticism score and test score on focused attention. Employing these variables, correct prediction of outcome at 1 year was found in 88% o f patients recruited from the insurance company. Authors conclude that a comprehensive assessment of whiplash patients early after trauma en ables physicians to identify patients at risk of delayed recovery.