Melissa Mucci survived a crash that totaled her car, but whiplash from the accident left her with persistent back and neck pain and impaired mobility. But because there was no visible injury, doctors dismissed her complaints. "My doctor said, 'No big deal, you'll be fine,'" said Mucci in an article for Medicalxpress.com.
Physical therapist Geoff Bostick, a faculty member in Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Alberta, hopes to dispel the frequent misunderstandings surrounding whiplash pain. His recent study revealed that expectation of recovery ─ either positive or negative ─ affects the amount of pain a person experiences. In other words, people that don't expect to improve feel more pain from their injuries, while those that expect to recover experience less pain.
While Bostick's results were drawn from a six-month survey analysis of 72 whiplash victims, other current research reveals similar results, according to Physorg.com. University of Alberta researcher Linda Carroll, from the School of Public Health, reviewed data from more than 6,000 Canadians with whiplash injuries caused by car accidents. "When people expected they would get better soon after a whiplash injury they actually recovered over three times as quickly as those that didn't think they'd get better," said Carroll.
Treating the Brain ─ With Understanding and Education ─ Can Aid Recovery
Pain drives more than half of all Americans to seek medical care every year ─ but it is largely subjective, according to Physorg.com. "There is an unfortunate stigma about whiplash ─ just because an x-ray or MRI report states there is no pathology, this does not mean there are no plausible reasons for persisting pain," said Bostick.
By diagnosing the intensity, duration and type of pain ─ dull, burning, throbbing or stabbing ─ doctors and their patients can find a starting point for pain management and recovery. "It is important to realize that, while pain is not easily measured, it is very real and can be understood," said Bostick.
Researchers hope that educating patients about their injuries and opportunities for recovery could improve patient outcomes. With Mucci, for example, Bostick discussed her injury thoroughly before initiating treatment ─ an effort that paid off. "He took the time to understand me and took my pain seriously," said Mucci. "His exercises and teaching motivated me to help myself get better-and I did...even though I'm not 100 percent, I now know how to manage my pain."
An Attorney Can Help
If you have been involved in a car accident, contact an experienced personal injury attorney to discuss your injuries and whether you are entitled to compensation for medical bills and lost wages.
