| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3447918 | Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation | 2016 | 7 Pages |
•The results showed that neck-specific exercises (NSEs) significantly benefited neck disability, self-efficacy, and health-related quality of life compared with the untreated group.•There was significant improvement over time in all outcomes for the NSE group, and mostly significant worsening over time for the untreated group.•The results indicated that NSEs were more beneficial than no intervention while on a waiting list for individuals with chronic whiplash-associated disorders.
ObjectiveTo determine whether 3 months of neck-specific exercises (NSEs) could benefit individuals with chronic whiplash-associated disorder (WAD) who were on a waiting list (WL) for treatment.DesignA prospective, randomized controlled study.SettingPrimary health care.ParticipantsIndividuals (N=41; 31 women, 10 men; mean age ± SD, 38±11.2y) with chronic (6–36mo) WAD, grades 2 and 3, were analyzed.InterventionsPatients were randomly assigned to NSEs or no treatment for 3 months.Main Outcome MeasuresNeck-specific disability (Neck Disability Index [NDI]), neck pain (visual analog scale), general pain-related disability (Pain Disability Index [PDI]), self-perceived performance ability (Self-Efficacy Scale [SES]), and health-related quality of life (EuroQol 5 dimensions [EQ-5D]) were measured.ResultsNSEs significantly improved the NDI, SES, and EQ-5D compared with WL (P<.01). There was significant improvement (P<.0001) over time in all outcomes for NSEs, and apart from the PDI, significant worsening (P=.002–.0002) over time for the untreated group.ConclusionsNSEs were more beneficial than no intervention while on a WL for individuals with chronic WAD.
