Preexisting Cervical Disk Degeneration May Not Slow Whiplash Recovery

Whiplash-associated disorder (WAD) is a common injury following motor vehicle accidents and has a wide range of prognoses. A recent study set out to determine whether preexisting cervical disk degeneration is a prognostic factor in WAD. The study involved 45 patients with advanced disk degeneration and a control group of 52 patients with little-to-no disk degeneration. After one year, the investigators observed no difference in outcome among the participants in each group, suggesting no delay in recovery among WAD patients with preexisting cervical disk degeneration.
Clinical Spine Surgery, November 2016