Arthritis: A Poor Prognosticator for Whiplash Injuries
You might be interested in a recent comprehensive literature search published in The International Journal of Spine Surgery concluding that pre-existing cervical degeneration (arthritis) is a predictor of non-recovery in whiplash patients.
“A statistically significant association was found between moderate facet joint degeneration and nonrecovery. A significantly higher proportion of patients who remained symptomatic at 2 years following a whiplash injury had preexisting degenerative changes.” (1)
This concurs with another recent study from the Spine Journal showing similar findings.
“In the group with a moderate degree of facet joint degeneration, 69.6% reported non-recovery compared with 23.6% among patients without any signs of degeneration. We hypothesize that whiplash trauma can be a trigger for painful manifestation of previously asymptomatic degeneration.” (2)
The bottom line is that asymptomatic pre-existing degeneration is common; however, motor vehicle collisions tend to arouse long-term symptoms.
References
Malik K, Eseonu KC, Pang D, Fakouri B, Panchmatia JR. Is Preexisting Cervical Degeneration a Risk Factor for Poor Prognosis in Whiplash-Associated Disorder?. International Journal of Spine Surgery. 2021 Jul 20.
Rydman E, Kasina P, Ponzer S, Järnbert-Pettersson H. Association between cervical degeneration and self-perceived non-recovery after whiplash injury. The Spine Journal. 2019 Aug 5.