Journal of the Chinese Medical Association
Volume 69, Issue 12 , Pages 591-595, December 2006

Vestibular Rehabilitation in a Patient with Whiplash-associated Disorders

  • Kwo-Shieng Tuo

      Affiliations

    • Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, R.O.C.
    • ,
  • Yuan-Yang Cheng

      Affiliations

    • Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.
    • ,
  • Chung-Lan Kao

      Affiliations

    • Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.
    • National Yang-Ming University School of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorrespondence to: Dr Chung-Lan Kao, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, 201, Section 2, Shih-Pai Road, Taipei 112, Taiwan, R.O.C.

Received 14 March 2006; accepted 14 July 2006.

Article Outline

Whiplash-associated disorders are characterized by multiple physical complaints after a flexion-extension trauma to the neck. They are difficult to treat, and they often result in great impact on the patient's quality of life. In this paper, the comprehensive treatment of a patient with whiplash-associated disorders is presented. The purpose is to highlight the importance of accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment plans to improve patients' quality of life. This 23-year-old woman experienced a traffic accident which caused severely painful neck disability, numbness over bilateral upper limbs, dizziness, double vision and loss of balance. Among these symptoms, dizziness was the problem that bothered the patient most. She received a comprehensive rehabilitation program including physical modalities, trigger point injections for relief of pain, as well as a vestibular rehabilitation program, which included exercises challenging and improving her balance function, head-eye coordination exercise, visual-ocular control exercise and sensory substitution-promoting exercises. She resumed her previous full-time work after 3 weeks of treatment. This successfully treated case illustrates the importance of correct diagnosis and appropriate treatment for patients who suffer from whiplash-associated disorders.

Key Words:  dizziness , vestibular rehabilitation , whiplash-associated disorders

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PII: S1726-4901(09)70336-3

doi:10.1016/S1726-4901(09)70336-3

Journal of the Chinese Medical Association
Volume 69, Issue 12 , Pages 591-595, December 2006

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