Study shows expectations for recovery important in the prognosis of whiplash injuries
A study at the Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, shows that expectations for recvery seem to be an important factor.
Individuals’ expectations on returning to work after an injury have been shown to predict the duration of time that a person with work-related low back pain will remain on benefits; individuals with lower recovery expectations received benefits for a longer time than those with higher expectations. The role of expectations in recovery from traumatic neck pain, in particular whiplash-associated disorders (WAD), has not been assessed to date to our knowledge. The aim of this study was to investigate if expectations for recovery are a prognostic factor after experiencing a WAD.
Individuals’ expectations for recovery are important in prognosis, even after controlling for symptom severity. Interventions designed to increase patients’ expectations may be beneficial and should be examined further in controlled studies.