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- Author or Editor: Charles N Brooks x
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Abstract
Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is characterized by chronic spontaneous and/or evoked regional pain disproportionate in severity, distribution, and/or duration to that typically experienced after a similar injury or illness. The pain may also begin without a known precipitant. While various authors have questioned the validity of the diagnosis, physicians will be asked to perform impairment ratings on patients diagnosed with CRPS. Hence, it is important to understand the issues associated with this syndrome; the diagnostic criteria for it, including the need to rule out other diagnoses that may explain the patient's presentation; and how to rate CRPS. The AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, Fifth Edition, provides approaches to assessing CRPS impairment that are refined in the Sixth Edition.
Abstract
Complaints of spinal pain are common after motor vehicle collisions (MVCs), and evaluators may be asked whether the collision caused permanent injury to the spine, including aggravating intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) and/or causing a disc herniation. To determine causality, evaluators can use the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (AMA Guides) to understand if a low-speed collision caused IDD. Injury causation analysis (ICA) is the scientific method used to analyze the mechanism and magnitude of injury for people who experience an MVC. ICA involves comparing the mechanical forces involved in the incident with the body's injury tolerance. Low back pain (LBP) is a common complaint following MVCs, but the literature regarding automobile collision testing has been compared to the body of evidence regarding real-world collision data and shows that, for low-speed impacts, any injuries are minor and self-limiting. Further, disability due to LBP was predicted by an abnormal baseline psychological test profile or a previously disputed compensation claim. The motions, forces, and accelerations generated in low-speed collisions are less than those encountered in activities of everyday living. ICA suggests that disc degeneration and disc herniations are pre-existing and are not caused by low-speed MVCs. Although the pain caused by a muscle sprain associated with a low-speed collision may prompt imaging studies that show disc pathology, these are coincidental and are not causally related.
Abstract
Whiplash-associated disorder (WAD) refers to complaints attributed to a shear-hyperextension then hyperflexion cervical injury, typically following a rear-end motor vehicle collision. Research suggests that chronic whiplash symptoms should be the exception rather than the rule, and the surge of chronic whiplash symptoms probably reflects the focus on biological treatment of WAD, ignoring the cultural, psychological, and sociological influences. The physician evaluating and/or treating a whiplash patient needs to have a solid understanding of the complexities and controversies associated with this disorder. Evaluation should be prompt and thorough, but, unless indicated, evaluators should avoid sophisticated diagnostic studies (eg, magnetic resonance imaging studies correlate poorly with whiplash symptoms). Treatment generally should be simple and consists primarily of reassurance and home exercise. Disability, both occupational and avocational, should be avoided or minimized. As with other impairment evaluations, the clinical assessment (history, physical examination, and review of diagnostic studies) must be thorough. If there are ratable findings, examiners must determine their reliability and whether the examinee has achieved maximal medical improvement. Most cases of WAD do not result in permanent impairment, but when there is ratable impairment it usually falls in DRE Cervical Category II, with a rating of 5% to 8% whole person permanent impairment. Managing patients’ beliefs and expectations following motor vehicle injury can help guide them to continue or promptly return to normal activities. {223}
