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A new study into the effects of whiplash has found that the patient’s attitude has a great impact on the speed of recovery.
The study was carried out in Stockholm at the Karolinska Institute, led by Lena Holm. A questionnaire based study was carried out among 1000 adult claimants from two insurance companies in Sweden.
Each participant in the study was quizzed with a detailed set of questions about the nature of their accident, demographic profile, health history, pain and symptoms since the crash.
Detailed notes were made on the severity of each individuals suffering and disability caused as a result of their whiplash-associated disorders. This term refers to a range of symptoms related to whiplash, including back, neck and shoulder pain, blurred vision, headache, ringing in the ears, nausea, anxiety and depression.
They were then asked, in another section of the questionnaire, how likely they felt that they were to recover fully from their injuries. Only one quarter of those questioned believed that they would recover from their injuries.
Six months after the initial questionnaire the patients were re-examined and their symptoms discussed. A clear pattern quickly emerged, showing that those who had previously stated that they felt they were not likely to make a full recovery were much more likely to be suffering from a high degree of disability six months later.
Those who stated that they expected to make a full recovery fared much better when re-examined six months on.
The study took pains to take into account the severity of the initial symptoms and each persons psychological suffering. Even with these taken into account the association between positive outlook and speedy recovery remained.
Those involved in the study had to come to the conclusion that regardless of the severity of the symptoms, the attitude of the patient is crucial to recovery.
Medical experts have a great deal of trouble diagnosing and treating whiplash due to the ambiguity of the symptoms. However, many have been suggesting for a long time that early treatment and attention is vital.
This is a point which the study strongly agrees with as a result of its findings. If patients can be given a clearer diagnosis and recovery time, putting their mind at rest, then recovery can be helped along.
The authors of the study state that “early assessment of expectations of recovery” should always be made to the patient as it can help predict progress and assist a speedier recovery.
The study suggests that their findings may help to explain why those initially experiencing only mild pain can often go on to develop more serious and often long term symptoms.
The authors of this study say that this is only the beginning and are pushing for more studies into whiplash associated disorders so that sufferers will benefit and less long term debilitating discomfort will be seen.
It is hoped that these findings and further studies will go some way to relieve the burden of whiplash injuries on employers, insurance companies and the victims themselves.
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