Whiplash injuries

I came across a very article this week on whiplash injuries caused by motor vehicle and truck accdients:

"Research has shown that up to 40% of neck complaints may become chronic and persist for at least a year" (Buitenhuis et al., 2009, p. 262). It has been shown that the chronic disabling type of neck injury has the greatest impact on the victim as well as society.

Finally, the authors reported, "At 6 months, concurrent higher neck pain intensity and more concentration complaints were found to be related to persistent work disability" (Buitenhuis et al., 2009, p. 266). This study showed that cognitive complaints were also important and a major part of working disability. Clinical evaluations of patients with these types of additional findings are critical in the care and triaging of whiplash victims.

So what I take away from this article was that whiplash can remain in a injured client for up to one year or longer on the average. It is a misconception that all signs and symptoms will be gone earlier. This is powerful information, especially when presented to a jury.