title: Predicting central sensitisation - whiplash patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Central sensitisation is associated with chronic pain in whiplash patients. Predicting which patients will develop central sensitisation is difficult but patient expectations of recovery predict a variety of outcomes in whiplash patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-one whiplash patients were assessed within 1 week of their collision in order to ascertain their expectations of recovery and were then re-examined 3 months later with the Brachial Plexus Provocation Test (BPPT) as a sign of central sensitisation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Adjusting for a number of predictors, patient expectation of recovery was found to predict the results of the BPPT. Subjects who expected 'to get better soon' had a BPPT angle that was 42 degrees less (ie. closer to normal or full range) than any of the subjects who had poor recovery expectations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Whiplash patients who expect 'never to get better' or 'don't know' have a much higher likelihood of developing at least one sign of central sensitisation 3 months after their collision.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Research Transition Facility, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. rferrari@shaw.ca
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ferrari
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001917:Brachial Plexus / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D006930:Hyperalgesia / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014911:Whiplash Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D055815:Young Adult