Identifying upper limb disability in patients with persistent whiplash.

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Neurology
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Persistent whiplash associated disorders (WAD) often involve upper limb (UL) symptoms and functional limitations.
• Limited research exists on the specific nature of these UL complaints and their relationship to motor performance deficits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and characterize upper limb (UL) symptoms.
• To assess the degree and nature of UL functional difficulties in patients with persistent WAD.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 24 participants with persistent WAD and age-matched healthy controls.
• Utilized Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH), Neck Disability Index (NDI), and Patient Specific Functional Scale (PSFS) questionnaires.
• Assessed motor performance including reaction time, movement speed, accuracy, coordination, and tapping speed in a subset of participants.

Main Results:

• Upper limb (UL) symptoms and functional deficits were common in persistent WAD.
• The DASH questionnaire showed significantly higher scores in the WAD group and correlated with pain and disability measures.
• Impaired four-choice reaction time was the only significant motor performance deficit observed in the WAD group, correlating with pain levels.

Conclusions:

• The DASH questionnaire is a suitable tool for assessing UL function in persistent WAD, particularly when NDI scores are high or UL difficulties are reported.
• Further research is needed to explore the relationship between UL motor performance impairments and reported functional deficits in persistent WAD.