engleski

Can measuring passive neck muscle stiffness in whiplash injury patients help detect false whiplash claims?

Background Whiplash injury of the cervical spine is the most common injury after a car accident and in 25% of patients it progresses into chronic neck pain. Aim of the study: To investigate the difference in neck muscle stiffness using shear wave ultrasound elastography between subjects who suffered an uncomplicated whiplash injury and a control group. Possible recognition of patients who insist on physical therapy in order to support their false whiplash injury claims. Methods This study included 75 whiplash injury patients and 75 control subjects. Trapezius, splenius capitis and sternocleidomastoid muscles were examined by ultrasound shear wave elastography. Results Increased muscle stiffness was noticed in trapezius muscle bilaterally in the whiplash group when compared to the control group (p< 0.001 ; right 57.47± 13.82kPa vs. 87.84± 23.23kPa ; left 54.4±12.68kPa vs. 87.21± 26.47kPa). Muscle stiffness insplenius capitis and sternocleidomastoid muscleswas not suitable for analysis because of asymmetricaldata distribution. Patients with less than 76kPa ofmuscle stiffness in trapezius muscle are unlikely tobelong in whiplash injury group (sensitivity 90% forrightand97%forlefttrapeziusmuscle, specificity72% and 73%, respectively). Conclusion: Patients measuring below 76kPa of mus-cle stiffness in the trapezius muscle might have nowhiplash injury. Further follow-up of the patientsmeasuring higher than cut-off value might be benefi-cial for detecting patients with prolonged neck mus-cle spasm that can lead to chronic cervical pain syn-drome.

Elastography ; Ultrasound ; Trapezius ; Shear wave ; Neck pain ; Cervical-spine

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