Henry Ford Hospital Medical Journal
Abstract
Rear-end collisions represent 25% of all vehicular accidents. On occasion, the patients become more disabled by the diagnosis of "whiplash" than by the injury. During the past three years, 100 patients were referred for neurological examination and disposition following rear-end collisions. Appropriate neurological testing, included the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Test (MMPI). A minority of these patients required hospitalization. The incidence of disc rupture requiring surgical decompression was less than 1%. The psychological tests were of limited aid in helping the physician to treat this group of patients. The middle-aged patient without concomitant arthritic change, having secured conservative treatment in moderation, may expect to be free of symptoms within three to six months following a rear-end collision.
Recommended Citation
Clarke, Hugh A.
(1977)
"The rear-end collision — Soma or psyché?,"
Henry Ford Hospital Medical Journal
: Vol. 25
:
No.
3
, 223-230.
Available at:
https://scholarlycommons.henryford.com/hfhmedjournal/vol25/iss3/11