UOIT researcher: Education, reassurance the best treatment for whiplash injury

A new study co-authored by a leading health sciences researcher at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) has implications for managing treatment of a patient’s recovery from a traffic-related whiplash injury.

“Our study adds to the existing evidence that early intensive health care is associated with slower or delayed recovery from whiplash-associated disorders, rather than faster,” says Dr. Pierre Côté, Canada Research Chair in Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation, and Director of the UOIT-Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC) Centre for Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation.

The study published in the journal Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation examines the recovery rates and expectations of more than 5,000 adult patients who visited physicians, chiropractors, physiotherapists, massage therapists or other regulated professionals in the first six weeks following a whiplash injury.

“Recovery was significantly slower for those with high health-care utilization when compared to individuals who reported low utilization of physician services,” says Dr. Côté. “The research shows that too much treatment too early after the injury is associated with delayed recovery, regardless of the severity of whiplash. The truth is, optimal management of whiplash focuses on reassurance, education, simple neck exercises and a short course of manual therapy instead of intensive care.”

Dr. Côté says these research results have vast policy implications for health care and potentially for related sectors such as the insurance industry.

Dr. Côté is an Associate Professor with UOIT’s Faculty of Health Sciences. He also holds an appointment at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.

Related links:

• UOIT researcher Dr. Pierre Côté proposes new approach to common traffic injury management (August 2015)
• The management of headaches associated with neck pain should include exercise (February 2016 research paper co-authored by Dr. Pierre Côté, published in the European Spine Journal)

Media contact:
Bryan Oliver
Communications and Marketing
University of Ontario Institute of Technology
905.721.8668 ext. 6709
289.928.3653 (cell)
bryan.oliver@uoit.ca