Authors: Astrid Woodhouse Øyvind Stavdahl Ottar Vasseljen
Publish Date: 2009/10/10
Volume: 201, Issue: 2, Pages: 261-270
Abstract
Patients with whiplash associated disorders WAD have shown less accuracy in trajectory head motion compared to asymptomatic controls which comply with clinical observations The aim of this study was to investigate whether a trajectory head movement task can differ between WAD patients chronic nontraumatic neck pain CNP patients and asymptomatic controls Study groups included subjects with WAD n = 35 with persistent neck pain after a car accident CNP n = 45 and asymptomatic controls n = 48 Head motion was recorded from an unsupported standing position using a 3D Fastrak device A laser pointer was attached to the head and by moving the head the subjects were asked to trace a figure of eight displayed on the wall at three different paces slow moderate and fast The motion signal was decomposed into 1 Hz frequency bands and angular velocity deg/s within each frequency band was calculated Significantly higher angular RMS velocity was found in the WAD group compared to the two other groups for the slow paced test 3–4 and 4–5 Hz frequency bands and the moderate paced test 3–4 Hz frequency band indicating irregular and uncoordinated movements Angular RMS velocity was associated with pain and dizziness but only with severe symptom levels In conclusion irregular head movements during a complex task were found in the WAD group indicating altered central sensorimotor processing The irregularities were found within frequency levels observable to cliniciansThe authors want to acknowledge the Norwegian Fund for PostGraduate Training in Physiotherapy for financial support of the study and also thank The National Center of Spinal Disorders St Olav’s Hospital Trondheim Norway for their assistance in subject recruitment and data acquisition
Keywords: