Chronic Neck Pain Common Among Car Crash Victims, Study Finds

Persistent moderate or severe neck pain is common among car crash victims, according to a study documented in the journal Pain.

The study led by researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine reveals that chronic neck pain is common in those involved in violent car crash. This is the first large prospective study that analyzed the musculoskeletal pain outcome among car crash population in the U.S.

The study reports that each year over four million Americans visit the emergency ward for evaluation after being involved in a vehicle collision. Out of these, 90 percent of the victims get discharged on completion of evaluation.

The study was conducted on victims from eight different emergency departments from four states. Analysis revealed that persistent pain is common in this group.  Six weeks after the accident, nearly 70 percent of the individuals claimed to have continuous musculoskeletal pain in one or more body regions. Pain in more than four body regions was reported by one-third of the study subjects.

"In the U.S., if someone develops chronic neck pain or other pain after a car accident, and they go to their doctor or tell their friends, they are often not believed or are viewed with great suspicion, as if their symptoms are not real and they are just trying to sue someone," Samuel McLean, MD, MPH, associate professor of anesthesiology and emergency medicine, said in a statement. "Our findings indicate that persistent pain is very common among those who aren't suing, and that only a minority of those with persistent pain are engaged in litigation."

Out of the 948 study subjects, just 17 percent contacted a lawyer six weeks after the accident. Continuous pain in the neck was common in people who weren't planning on suing. Moderate and severe neck pain was seen among 28 percent of the victims and widespread musculoskeletal pain was seen in 13 percent of the subjects.

According to estimates, there were nearly 5,419,000 crashes in the U.S. in the year 2010, out of which 32,885 people died and 2,239,000 severely injured.

McLean the first author of the study concluded saying, "It is hard enough to be suffering from a persistent pain condition after trauma that is moderate or severe, and/or occurring across many body regions. Unfortunately, these patients also often have to deal with the additional burden not being believed. Hopefully the results of this study will contribute to helping doctors and the public understand that these symptoms are common, including among patients who aren't suing anyone."