Whiplash-Associated Disorders: Evidence-Based Practice
Presented by James M. Elliott and David M. Walton
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Nonfinancial: James M. Elliott has no competing nonfinancial interests or relationships with regard to the content presented in this course.
Financial: David M. Walton receives compensation from MedBridge for the production of this course. He is the coauthor of Musculoskeletal Pain: Assessment, Prediction and Treatment and is an employee at Western University Canada.
Nonfinancial: David M. Walton has no competing nonfinancial interests or relationships with regard to the content presented in this course.
This course will review the current state of evidence for managing acute whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) to facilitate recovery and prevent chronicity. You will learn about the current state of evidence for managing chronic WAD to minimize disability and optimize function. The course will also cover interdisciplinary care considerations in acute and chronic WAD such as when to refer, to whom, and why.
Meet your instructors
James M. Elliott
James completed his PhD at the University of Queensland, Australia (UQ) in 2007 and a post-doctoral fellowship (2008-2010) at UQ. The focus of his interdisciplinary laboratory is to quantify altered spinal cord anatomy and whole-body skeletal muscle degeneration as potential markers of recovery following spinal trauma. He…
David M. Walton
David Walton (@uwo_dwalton) completed his BScPT in physical therapy at the University of Western Ontario in 1999, an MSc in neuroscience in 2001, and a PhD in health and rehabilitation science from Western in 2010. Following a combined 10 years of clinical practice, he is now an associate professor in the School of Physical…
Chapters & learning objectives
1. A Historical Context of Whiplash
Chapter 1 of this course will cover the current estimates of annual incidence, costs, anticipated recovery, and the wide spectrum of signs and symptoms associated with whiplash. We will also cover qualitative and quantitative metrics toward understanding the nature of the collision/event, peritraumatic experiences, symptoms since the collision, and prior medical history/comorbidities. Lastly, we will consider how whiplash injuries have been understood, including “railway spine” and whiplash-associated disorders (WAD).
2. Initial Clinical Assessment
Chapter 2 will provide an appropriate step-by-step guide to assessment, evaluation, and screening in acute WAD, with a focus on screening for red flags and risk factors for chronicity. Attention will be given to the NEXUS Criteria and the Canadian C-Spine Rule as well as quick screening questions to identify possible closed head injury and/or cranial nerve dysfunction. Lastly, we will present evidence to support clinically warranted imaging applications.
3. Establishing a Prognosis and Developing an Informed Management Plan
Chapter 3 will cover current evidence on prognosis in acute WAD and provide information on consistent factors that predict chronic problems as well as highlight those that don’t appear to be predictive. We will present current evidence and other recent systematic reviews/meta-analyses and propose a risk-based management plan of care.
4. Emerging Strategies
Chapter 4 will cover current and emerging evidence on prognosis in acute WAD to provide information on consistent factors that predict chronic problems. Specifically, we will cover and expand upon our stress-diathesis model and share quantitative crash reconstruction data using event data recorders (aka black box data).
