Smooth pursuit neck torsion test in whiplash-associated disorders: Relationship to self-reports of neck pain and disability, dizziness and anxiety

Objective: The smooth pursuit neck torsion test is thought to be a measure of neck afferent influence on eye movement control and is useful in assessing subjects with whiplash, especially those complaining of dizziness. Nevertheless, it is not known whether impairments identified relate only to abnormal cervical afferentation or are influenced by levels of anxiety or neck pain

Standing balance in persistent whiplash: A comparison between subjects with and without dizziness

Objective: Dizziness and unsteadiness, associated with altered balance, are frequent complaints in subjects suffering persistent whiplash associated disorders. Research has been inconclusive with respect to possible aetiology. This study assessed balance responses in subjects with whiplash associated disorders, taking into account several possible causes

Is the method of signal analysis and test selection important for measuring standing balance in subjects with persistent whiplash?

Dizziness and or unsteadiness, associated with episodes of loss of balance, are frequent complaints in those suffering from persistent problems following a whiplash injury. Research has been inconclusive with respect to possible aetiology, discriminative tests and analyses used. The aim of this pilot research was to identify the test conditions and the most appropriate method for the analysis of sway that may differentiate subjects with persistent whiplash associated disorders (WAD) from healthy controls. The six conditions of the Clinical Test for Sensory Interaction in Balance was performed in both comfortable and tandem stance in 20 subjects with persistent WAD compared to 20 control subjects. The analyses were carried out using a traditional method of measurement, total sway distance, to results obtained from the use of wavelet analysis. Subjects with WAD were significantly less able to complete the tandem stance tests on a firm surface than controls. In comfortable stance, using wavelet analysis, significant differences between subjects with WAD and the control group were evident in total energy of the trace for all test conditions apart from eyes open on the firm surface. In contrast, the results of the analysis using total sway distance revealed no significant differences between groups across all six conditions. Wavelet analysis may be more appropriate for detecting disturbances in balance in whiplash subjects because the technique allows separation of the noise from the underlying systematic effect of sway. These findings will be used to direct future studies on the aeitiology of balance disturbances in WAD. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved