Single exercise session effective for whiplash
Friday April 4th, 2014
Intense physiotherapy sessions are no better than a single session plus telephone advice when it comes to treating chronic whiplash injury, a new study in Australia has found.
The
conclusions of this latest research backs up previous studies on the subject,
all of which say that minimal additional benefit of longer physiotherapy
programmes over briefer physiotherapy programmes for acute whiplash-associated
disorders.
The University of Sydney study, which was published last night (3rd April) in The Lancet, included participants who had suffered a motor vehicle accident resulting in chronic whiplash. Their accident had to have happened between 3 months and 5 years prior to signing up to the study.
A total of 172 people were enrolled into the study between September 2009 and February 2012.
They were randomly divided into two groups, with an advice group receiving a single half-hour consultation with a trained physiotherapist who went over a pamphlet that provided information on whiplash-related disorders, suggestions on how to self-manage pain, and a simple exercise routine.
Participants assigned to this group could also have two further phone consultations.
The exercise group received a more complex treatment, including 20 individually tailored physiotherapy sessions, each lasting 1 hour, over 12 weeks.
The primary outcome of the study was reduction in pain reported during the previous week, measured at 14 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months after the intervention.
Secondary outcomes included pain during the previous 24 hours, self-reported recovery, and an improvement in flexibility.
However, no clinically meaningful differences were reported between groups for either primary or secondary outcomes during any of the reporting periods.
Study author Dr Zoe Michaleff, of The University of Sydney, said: “Musculoskeletal disorders are 1 of the leading causes of disability and chronic pain globally. The need to identify effective and affordable strategies to prevent and treat musculoskeletal disorders should be an important health priority.
“This is especially true for those with chronic whiplash-associated disorders because most patients have tried and failed previous treatments, and their continuing symptoms mean they would be unlikely to pursue more of the same approaches.”
She said their study provides further evidence that prolonged expensive clinical interventions for chronic whiplash injury are no more effective than briefer treatment programs.
Michaleff Z, Maher C et al. Comprehensive physiotherapy exercise programme or advice for chronic whiplash (PROMISE): a pragmatic randomised controlled trial. The Lancet 4 April 2014; doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60457-8 [abstract]
Tags: Australia | Pain Relief
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