IS A LIFETIME HISTORY OF NECK INJURY IN A TRAFFIC COLLISION ASSOCIATED WITH PREVALENT NECK PAIN, HEADACHE AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMATOLOGY?

The objective of this study is to determine whether independent associations exist between a history of neck injury related to a motor vehicle collision and: (1) graded neck pain in the past 6 months; (2) headaches in the past 6 months; and (3) depressive symptomatology during the past week. The authors used data from Saskatchewan Health and Back Pain Survey, a population-based cross-sectional survey mailed to a stratified random sample of 2184 Saskatchewan adults aged 20-69 years. Fifty-five percent of the eligible population participated. The exposure was collected by asking subjects whether they had ever injured their neck in a motor vehicle collision. The outcomes: 6-month prevalence of graded neck pain, 6-month prevalence headache and depressive symptomatology during the past week were measured with valid and reliable questionnaires. Sixteen percent of the study sample reported a lifetime history of neck injury in a traffic collision. The assocation between neck injury and the outcomes was determiend from polytomous and binary multivariate logistic regression with adjustment for age, gender and other covariates. A history of neck injury was positively associated with low intensity/low disability neck pain (OR = 2.81; 95% CI 1.85-4.37), positively associated with high intensity/low disability neck pain (OR = 4.46; 95% CI 2.49-4.99) and with disabling neck pain (OR = 3.30; 95% CI 1.48-7.39). Similarly, they found a positive association between a history of neck injury in a motor vehicle collision and headaches that moderately/severely impact on one's health (OR = 2.09, 95% CI 1.27-3.44). No association was found between neck injury and depressive symptomatology (OR = 0.84; 95% CI 0.50-1.40). The cross-sectional analysis suggests that neck pain and severe headaches are more prevalent in individuals with a history of neck injury from a car collision. However, the results should not be used to infer causal relationship between whiplash and chronic neck pain and headaches. (A)

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00014575
• Corporate Authors:

  Elsevier

  The Boulevard, Langford Lane
  Kidlington, Oxford  United Kingdom  OX5 1GB
• Authors:
  • Cote, P
  • CASSIDY, J D
  • CARROLL, L
• Publication Date: 2000-3

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: p. 151-9
• Serial:
  • Accident Analysis & Prevention
  • Volume: 32
  • Issue Number: 2
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 0001-4575
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00014575

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crashes; Injuries; Vehicles; Vertebrae
• ITRD Terms: 2040: Cervical vertebrae; 1631: Collision; 2163: Injury; 1255: Vehicle
• Subject Areas: Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00788469
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-042 996
• Files: HSL, ITRD, , ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 3 2000 12:00AM