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Irregular head movement patterns in whiplash patients during a trajectory task.
Astrid Woodhouse1, Øyvind Stavdahl, Ottar Vasseljen
1Department of Public Health and General Practice, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. astrid.woodhouse@ntnu.no
Experimental Brain Research
|October 13, 2009
Summary
Patients with whiplash associated disorders (WAD) exhibit irregular head movements during complex tasks, unlike those with chronic non-traumatic neck pain or healthy individuals. This indicates altered sensorimotor processing in WAD patients, observable by clinicians.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biomechanics
- Clinical Medicine
Background:
- Whiplash associated disorders (WAD) are often characterized by impaired head movement accuracy.
- Clinical observations suggest differences in head motion control between WAD patients and healthy individuals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if trajectory head movement tasks can differentiate between WAD patients, chronic non-traumatic neck pain (CNP) patients, and asymptomatic controls.
- To investigate the characteristics of head motion in WAD patients.
Main Methods:
- 3D Fastrak device used to record head motion in standing subjects.
- Subjects traced a figure of eight at slow, moderate, and fast paces.
- Motion signals decomposed into 1 Hz frequency bands to calculate angular RMS velocity.
Main Results:
- WAD patients showed significantly higher angular RMS velocity compared to CNP and control groups during slow and moderate paced tests.
- Irregular and uncoordinated head movements were identified in the WAD group.
- Higher angular RMS velocity correlated with severe pain and dizziness levels.
Conclusions:
- WAD patients demonstrate irregular head movements during complex tasks, suggesting altered central sensorimotor processing.
- These movement irregularities are detectable within specific frequency bands, potentially observable by clinicians.
- Trajectory head movement analysis can serve as a tool to identify sensorimotor deficits in WAD.
