BACKGROUND: Whiplash injury-related neck pain frequently hinders daily life activities, resulting in poor quality of life. Recovery time is prolonged in many patients. Long-term outcomes of refractory whiplash injury-related neck pain remain poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the long-term prognosis of chronic whiplash injury-related neck pain. METHODS: We evaluated the prognosis of 38 patients with whiplash injury-induced neck pain via phone interviews. We investigated the data on current presence and degree of neck pain, current pain medication, physical modality or injection procedures, and difficulty performing daily life activities or occupational duties. RESULTS: At least 5 years after the whiplash injury, 34 patients (89.5%) experienced whiplash injury-related neck pain. The average numeric rating scale (NRS) score on the initial visit to our spine center was 5.3 ± 1.7 and that at the follow-up interview was 4.3 ± 2.6. Twenty-six (68.4%) patients had pain scores ⩾ 3 on the NRS. Additionally, 26 (68.4%) patients were receiving at least one of the following pain-management treatments: oral pain medications, physical modality, and injection procedures. Twenty-eight (73.7%) patients encountered difficulty performing daily life activities and occupational duties. CONCLUSIONS: The long-term prognosis of patients with whiplash injury-related neck pain was found to be poor.

中文翻译：

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挥鞭伤相关慢性颈部疼痛的五到十年预后：简要报告

背景：挥鞭伤相关的颈部疼痛经常阻碍日常生活活动，导致生活质量低下。许多患者的恢复时间会延长。难治性挥鞭伤相关颈部疼痛的长期结果仍然知之甚少。目的：本研究旨在评估慢性挥鞭伤相关颈部疼痛的长期预后。方法：我们通过电话采访评估了 38 名挥鞭伤引起的颈部疼痛患者的预后。我们调查了有关颈部疼痛的当前存在和程度、当前止痛药、物理方式或注射程序以及执行日常生活活动或职业职责困难的数据。结果：挥鞭伤后至少 5 年，34 名患者 (89.5%) 经历了挥鞭伤相关的颈部疼痛。初次访问我们脊柱中心的平均数字评定量表 (NRS) 得分为 5.3 ± 1.7，而在后续访谈中的平均得分为 4.3 ± 2.6。二十六名 (68.4%) 患者的 NRS 疼痛评分≥3。此外，26 名 (68.4%) 患者正在接受以下疼痛管理治疗中的至少一种：口服止痛药、物理疗法和注射程序。二十八名 (73.7%) 患者在执行日常生活活动和职业职责时遇到困难。结论：挥鞭伤相关颈部疼痛患者的长期预后较差。4%) 的患者至少接受了以下一种疼痛管理治疗：口服止痛药、物理疗法和注射程序。二十八名 (73.7%) 患者在执行日常生活活动和职业职责时遇到困难。结论：挥鞭伤相关颈部疼痛患者的长期预后较差。4%) 的患者至少接受了以下一种疼痛管理治疗：口服止痛药、物理疗法和注射程序。二十八名 (73.7%) 患者在执行日常生活活动和职业职责时遇到困难。结论：挥鞭伤相关颈部疼痛患者的长期预后较差。