Whiplash-type neck distortion in restrained car drivers: frequency, causesand long-term results

An analysis was made of 1176 whiplash-type neck distortions taken from a to tal of 3838 restrained car driver incident reports. The percentage of whipl ash-type neck distortion among injured drivers increased from less than 10% in 1985 to over 30% in 1997. Most occurred in head-on crashes or crashes w ith multiple collisions; only 15% occurred in rear-end collisions. More tha n 1,000 questionnaires were sent to the injured to find out about the durat ion and type of complaints caused by their cervical spine injury. Although only 138 (12%) returned the questionnaire, which may not be a representativ e sample, a further analysis was carried out. Of the 138, 121 (88%) indicat ed that they had suffered or were still suffering from their symptoms. The percentages of the various complaints were as follows: pain (74%), tension (6%) and stiffness (5%) in the head (27%), neck (55%) and shoulder (8%). Th e duration of the complaints was longest after multiple collisions and when the onset of complaints was longer than 24 h after trauma. Women and elder ly persons predominated slightly in the group with longer duration of compl aints. A correlation between the severity of the accompanying injuries and duration of complaints was found. Lack of adequate follow-up for patients w ith less severe injuries posed considerable difficulties for this retrospec tive study. In order to better evaluate this problem, prospective studies a re necessary, with documentation including diagnosis, treatments, complaint duration and type.