Algesimeter measures pain associated with whiplash injury

	Tweet

Computerized pain algesimetry may offer a standardized approach for quantitatively assessing cervical pain following whiplash injuries, researchers based in Germany report. Their findings also show that processes of early sensitization in whiplash injuries may occur peripherally as well as centrally.

The clinical evaluation of pressure pain tends to be subjective and qualitative, Dr. Philipp Stude, of University of Essen, and his colleagues point out in their article, published in the December issue of Cephalalgia.

They used a computer-interactive pressure algesimeter to standardize cervical pain measurement in 23 drivers who had a whiplash injury 7 days earlier in a rear-end collision, and 24 healthy control subjects. A constant pressure of 1310 kPa was applied to the left and right splenius muscle and to the left and right trapezius muscle.

“We found increased pain expression parameters in the acute stage of whiplash injury, where the left trapezii muscles were more painful than the right ones, perhaps due to the drivers’ position in the car,” co-author Dr. Katrina Nebel told AMN Health.

Specifically, they observed a steep rise of the pain intensity-time function indicating raised pressure pain in the patient group but not the control group. Maximal muscle pressure pain was significantly increased for both the left and right splenius muscles and the left trapezius muscles compared with the control group. The tolerance threshold was also reached more rapidly within the whiplash group.

When subjects were retested, Dr. Nebel said, 10% to 20% of patients still had high levels of pressure pain 6 weeks after the trauma.

Her group is now “examining which factors might predict long-lasting symptoms” in whiplash injuries.

Cephalalgia 2004;24:1067-1075.

RELATED STORIES:
Naturopathic Medicine Successfully Reverses Migraines   Medicaid cure to be headache   Migraine and Tension Headache Relief using Neurofeedback   Migraines with Aura in Middle Age May Be Associated with Late-Life Brain Lesions   Migraine Headaches & Sexual Desire May be Linked   Research: Migraine and cardiovascular disease: Systematic review and meta-analysis   Tension headaches ? A brief overview   Multiple sclerosis seen associated with headache   Rebound Headaches—How to Stop the Cycle of Pain   Headache from religious fast? Researchers may have a cure   Headaches are common in year following traumatic brain injury, especially among females   Migraines increase stroke risk during pregnancy

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]