Affiliations: [a] Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Ulsan University Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan, Korea | [b] Department of Medical Statistics, College of Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu, Daegu, Korea | [c] Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Daegu, Korea
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Min Cheol Chang, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University 317-1, Daemyungdong, Namku, Taegu, 705-717, Korea. Tel.: +82 53 620 4682; E-mail: wheel633@gmail.com.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Whiplash injury-related neck pain frequently hinders daily life activities, resulting in poor quality of life. Recovery time is prolonged in many patients. Long-term outcomes of refractory whiplash injury-related neck pain remain poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the long-term prognosis of chronic whiplash injury-related neck pain. METHODS: We evaluated the prognosis of 38 patients with whiplash injury-induced neck pain via phone interviews. We investigated the data on current presence and degree of neck pain, current pain medication, physical modality or injection procedures, and difficulty performing daily life activities or occupational duties. RESULTS: At least 5 years after the whiplash injury, 34 patients (89.5%) experienced whiplash injury-related neck pain. The average numeric rating scale (NRS) score on the initial visit to our spine center was 5.3 ± 1.7 and that at the follow-up interview was 4.3 ± 2.6. Twenty-six (68.4%) patients had pain scores ⩾ 3 on the NRS. Additionally, 26 (68.4%) patients were receiving at least one of the following pain-management treatments: oral pain medications, physical modality, and injection procedures. Twenty-eight (73.7%) patients encountered difficulty performing daily life activities and occupational duties. CONCLUSIONS: The long-term prognosis of patients with whiplash injury-related neck pain was found to be poor.
