Frequency of Primary Neck Pain in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury/Concussion Patients. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2020 Jan;101(1):89-94
Date
09/08/2019Pubmed ID
31493383Pubmed Central ID
PMC6930963DOI
10.1016/j.apmr.2019.08.471Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85073018882 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 15 CitationsAbstract
OBJECTIVES: To determine (1) the frequency of neck pain overall and relative to other symptoms in patients presenting to a level I trauma center emergency department (ED) with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and (2) the predictors of primary neck pain in this population.
DESIGN: Cohort study.
SETTING: Level I trauma center ED.
PARTICIPANTS: Patients presenting to the ED with symptoms of mTBI having been exposed to an event that could have caused mTBI (N=95).
INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Frequency of self-reported neck pain as measured by Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 3 (SCAT3) symptom questionnaire at <3, 8, 15, and 45 days post injury. Primary neck pain was defined in 2 ways: (1) neck pain rated as equal or greater in severity than all other SCAT3 symptoms and (2) neck pain worse than all other symptoms.
RESULTS: The frequency of any reported neck pain was 68.4%, 50.6%, 49%, and 41.9% within 72 hours and at 8, 15, and 45 days, respectively. Frequency of primary neck pain (equal or worse/worse definitions) was 35.8%/17.9%, 34.9%/14.5%, 37%/14.8%, and 39.2%/10.8% across the 4 follow-up assessments. Participants who sustained their injuries in motor vehicle collisions had a higher rate of primary neck pain than those with other mechanisms of injury.
CONCLUSIONS: A sizable percentage of patients who present to level I trauma center EDs with mTBI report neck pain, which is commonly rated as similar to or worse than other mTBI-related symptoms. Primary neck pain is more common after motor vehicle collisions than with other mechanisms of injury. These findings support consensus statements identifying cervical injury as an important potential concurrent diagnosis in patients with mTBI.
Author List
King JA, McCrea MA, Nelson LDAuthors
Jeffrey A. King DC, MS Associate Professor in the Neurosurgery department at Medical College of WisconsinMichael McCrea PhD Professor in the Neurosurgery department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Lindsay D. Nelson PhD Associate Professor in the Neurosurgery department at Medical College of Wisconsin
MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Accidents, TrafficAdult
Brain Concussion
Emergency Service, Hospital
Female
Humans
Male
Neck Pain
Prospective Studies
Severity of Illness Index
Trauma Centers
