Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

Background: Neck pain after a motor vehicle collision (also known as whiplash injury) is common and 50% of those injured continue to report pain one year after the injury. This represents significant costs to both the individual injured and society; highlighting the importance of disability prevention. Pain beliefs have been suggested to be important in determining outcome after whiplash injury. However, little information is known about these beliefs and their effects on recovery after whiplash injury. Methods The study design involves a survey competed early on after the injury (within 4 weeks) and then again later on (3 and 6 months). A small group of these participants will also take part in face-to-face interviews in order to provide more detailed information. The participants include people who have recently injured their neck after a motor vehicle accident (whiplash injury). The survey includes valid measures of pain beliefs and disability. In-depth interviews will also be conducted after each survey in a small group of participants. Statistics will be used to determine if pain beliefs predict disability and how they change over time. Statistics will also be used to determine the degree of validity evidence for measuring pain beliefs in whiplash injury. The interviews will be summarized into common themes in a standardized way. Relevance: The information from this study will be used to create education interventions at the patient and population level. Patient education is a key part in the management of whilash injuries. Therefore, knowledge of patient beliefs is vital to provide effective education. This study will also lead to a strategy for public education campaigns. Similar social interventions for low back pain have been shown to be effective reducing disability in other countries. It is thought that similar benefits can occur for decreasing disability after whiplash injury in Canada.