Chronic Whiplash Symptoms Being Studied With Special Vest
Posted by
Bob CarrollDecember 03, 2006 6:50 AMIf you are headed for Australia, happen to have continuing physical problems from a whiplash injury and can spare a day, the University of Queensland needs you.
Volunteers Required For Whiplash Injury Research
UQ's Physiotherapy Division is asking people to don a special vest to improve understanding of the impact of whiplash on the daily life of people with chronic symptoms. Dr Michele Sterling, a world-leading researcher in the Division's Whiplash Research Unit, said current research indicated that many people with neck pain after a motor-vehicle accident recovered within weeks.
However, some people experienced persistent neck pain over months or even years.
"Little is actually known about how the whiplash condition impacts on the ability to engage in normal work, rest and play that most of us take for granted," she said.
The current study uses novel technology to examine daily life at a level rarely seen in clinical research.
The Lifeshirt is a lightweight lycra vest that is hidden beneath a participant`s usual clothes. The vest unobtrusively monitors participant`s physiological parameters (such as heart-rate and respiration), posture, and movement patterns. Participants are asked to wear the vest for one day.
Participants must have neck pain, as a result of a motor vehicle accident which occurred more than 3 months and less than 5 years ago.
The study has been approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of the University of Queensland.
Potential participants should contact the Neck Pain and Whiplash Research Unit on (07) 3365 4529.
Maybe I should get a supply of the Lifeshirts for many of my clients in Florida who frequently complain of continuing limitations and pain from an initial whiplash injury for years after the settlement of their legal claims.