Living with ongoing whiplash associated disorders: a qualitative study of individual perceptions and experiences.
Carrie RitchieCarolyn EhrlichMichele SterlingPublished in: BMC musculoskeletal disorders (2017)
Recovery from a whiplash injury is an adaptive process and more than elimination of pain or disability, therefore may be different from common clinical patient reported outcomes. Early identification of patient understandings of pain, expectations of recovery, symptoms and therapy may help merge patient and HCP understandings. Additionally, helping individuals to recognise symptom triggers and develop appropriate strategies to minimise triggers may actively engage patients in their recovery. Finally, acknowledgement and validation of the whiplash injury by HCPs is seen by many as a necessary step in the recovery process.