Table 5 Predictors of persistent neck pain—initial injury/clinical factors.
| Persistent neck pain* | Relative risk† (95%CI) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| No | Yes | ||
| Initial injury severity (subjective assessment—tertiles) | |||
| Low | 139 (83.2) | 28 (16.8) | 1.0 |
| Medium | 128 (74.9) | 43 (25.1) | 1.5 (0.97 to 2.3) |
| High | 84 (61.3) | 53 (38.7) | 2.3 (1.6 to 3.5) |
| Initial Neck Disability Index score (tertiles) | |||
| Low | 120 (83.3) | 24 (16.7) | 1.0 |
| Medium | 109 (74.7) | 37 (25.3) | 1.6 (0.99 to 2.5) |
| High | 63 (53.8) | 54 (46.2) | 2.8 (1.8 to 4.2) |
| Number of other WAD symptoms (tertiles)‡ | |||
| 0–3 | 132 (83.0) | 27 (17.0) | 1.0 |
| 4–5 | 162 (75.3) | 53 (24.7) | 1.5 (0.99 to 2.2) |
| 6–10 | 58 (54.7) | 48 (45.3) | 2.9 (1.9 to 4.3) |
| WAD classification | |||
| Grade I | 199 (77.1) | 59 (22.9) | 1.0 |
| Grade II | 54 (74.0) | 19 (26.0) | 1.2 (0.8 to 1.8) |
| Grade III | 12 (70.6) | 5 (29.4) | 1.5 (0.7 to 3.4) |
| Cervical bony tenderness | |||
| No | 227 (77.5) | 66 (22.5) | 1.0 |
| Yes | 53 (67.9) | 25 (32.1) | 1.5 (1.02 to 2.2) |
| Presence of neurological signs or symptoms | |||
| No | 274 (75.3) | 90 (24.7) | 1.0 |
| Yes | 12 (66.7) | 6 (33.3) | 1.6 (0.8 to 3.1) |
| Limited range of movement | |||
| No | 250 (73.7) | 89 (26.3) | 1.0 |
| Yes | 34 (79.1) | 9 (20.9) | 0.9 (0.5 to 1.6) |
*Totals of columns vary due to some missing data.
†Adjusted for age and sex.
‡Whiplash associated disorder (WAD) symptoms: headaches, abnormal/tingling sensation, dizziness, tinnitus, problems with vision, memory/concentration problems, neck pain, back pain, arm pain, shoulder pain