Whiplash-associated disorder (WAD) is a very common injury that occurs in a variety of ways. It’s most commonly associated with motor vehicle collisions.
Symptoms Associated With WAD:
- WAD I: Pain, stiffness, or tenderness of the neck as the only complaint with no physical exam findings.
- WAD II: Pain, stiffness, or tenderness of the neck with soft tissue injury signs loss of range of motion (ROM) and/or point tenderness of the neck (a sprain/strain neck injury).
- WAD III: Pain, stiffness, or tenderness of the neck along with neurological signs sensory deficits, motor weakness, and/or decreased or absent deep tendon reflexes.
- WAD IV: Pain, stiffness, or tenderness of the neck with dislocation or fracture with/without spinal cord injury.
- Other symptoms include deafness, dizziness, ringing in the ears, headache, memory loss, difficulty swallowing, and jaw pain. These can be present in all grades (WAD I-IV).
About half of WAD patients continue to report neck pain one year after the injury occurred. These long-term symptoms/signs can vary from mild to completely disabling.
Risks
There are prognostic factors that may help predict who is at risk of developing long-term, chronic (lasting longer than three months) WAD. These factors include women more than men, age over 50 years, and lower educational attainment. It also includes those who had pre-injury neck pain and/or headaches. Those who report more frequent or severe post-injury symptoms with greater pain intensity have poor coping at six weeks post-injury. Depression, feeling helpless regarding pain control, fear of movement/activity, anxiety, and high-frequency pre-injury healthcare utilization are a few as well.
There is evidence that whiplash-injured individuals can develop widespread body pain or fibromyalgia in the year following their injury. It occurs more frequently in women and those with poor prior health, greater initial symptoms (including pain intensity), and more symptoms of depression.
Among available treatment options, manual therapies such as mobilization and manipulation—the primary form of treatment delivered by chiropractors—often receive the highest ratings from patients in regards to overall satisfaction with care.
