MRI DOCUMENTED MUSCLE INJURY IN WHIPLASH DISORDER

MRI DOCUMENTED MUSCLE INJURY IN WHIPLASH DISORDER

Muscle pain and injury is a common finding after whiplash trauma. Elliott, Jull, Noteboom, & Galloway (2008) produced the first MRI study demonstrating that female patients (18-45 years) with persistent Whiplash Associated Disorder (3 months-3 years) show quantifiable alterations in the cervical paraspinal muscles that differ significantly from subjects with no history of neck pain. They also determined that injury to the muscles surrounding the cervical spine would show changes of increased cross sectional areas specific to whiplash trauma at 3 months post injury. This is the first study of its kind to show muscle injury/pathology as a result of whiplash. The types of muscles examined in this study were deep cervical muscles and influence many factors, including spinal stability and joint position sense. This now explains and objectively quantifies injury when an accident victim complains of neck pain in the absence of herniated discs.

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Reference:

Elliott, J., Jull, G., Noteboom, J. T, & Galloway, G. (2008). MRI study of the cross-sectional area for the cervical extensor musculature in patients with persistent whiplash associated disorders (WAD). Manual Therapy, 13(3), 258-265.