Personal injury news 12/12/2006
UQ study of whiplash and its ongoing effects
The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia, is conducting a pioneering study aiming to establish the range and diversity of whiplash symptoms and how much these affect the daily lives of those suffering ongoing symptoms.
Leading whiplash researcher and lecturer in physiotherapy, Dr Michele Sterling, who is carrying out this groundbreaking study, received $50,000 in the UQ Foundation Research Awards, 2005.
These annual awards recognise outstanding performance and leadership potential and were awarded to seven of the university's key researchers in September 2005.
On the announcement of the award winners, UQ Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor David Siddle commented, "This year's winners were part of a strongly contested field. The quality and diversity of their research augers well for the university."
It was Dr Stirling's intention to use her $50,000 award to study traumatic personal cost, and health costs of whiplash injury and so this particular research study, which aims to find out how the pain suffered by whiplash patients can be eased, was proposed.
More than 5,000 people involved in car accidents and other vehicle accidents in Queensland suffer whiplash injuries and from 1994 to 2004 whiplash treatment has cost in the region of $1 billion, an extortionate sum which doesn't even guarantee results.
"While most people respond really well to current treatments, around 20 to 25 percent of people develop chronic symptoms, and experience pain and disability for longer than three months. It is this group that will be the focus. Our aim is to identify people that are at risk of not recovering well and to find better treatments for them," the leading researcher said.
Dr Stirling, who has been a researcher in this area for almost ten years, also commented that "Little is actually known about how the whiplash condition impacts on the ability to engage in normal work, rest and play that most of us take for granted."
The most unusual element of this particular whiplash study is that participants will be required to wear a "Life Shirt", a sleeveless Lycra vest which can be worn discreetly under the shirt. This is fitted with electrodes and data recording facilities, enabling heart and respiratory rates, posture and movement patterns to be recorded.
Eighty participants aged between 18 and 65 who are experiencing neck pain caused by a vehicle accident more than three months and less than five years previous are being asked to do the following:
Wear a "Life Shirt" beneath their usual clothes for one day, either at home or at work.
Make entries into an electronic diary, describing pain levels, whiplash symptoms and any activities undertaken that day.
Attend the Neck Pain and Whiplash Research Unit at UQ's St Lucia campus for a two-hour testing session, including physical tests examining neck functions, a series of questionnaires about the physical, social and emotional consequences of their whiplash injury.
This study, which has been approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of the University of Queensland, will take both the physical and psychological aspects of this neck injury into consideration.
Dr Stirling commented, "Our hope is that this research will paint a picture of daily life with long-term whiplash, and shed light on factors that may contribute to the persistent nature of these kinds of injuries."
For more details on the study or to find out how you can become a research participant visit: www.uq.edu.au.
