Chronic pain after a motor vehicle collision (MVC) is very common with an estimated 30% of patients developing persistent pain and disability. New emerging science show that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms of hyperarousal, re-experiencing the accident, avoidance and numbing is very common in chronic whiplash-associated disorders. The addition of PTSD symptoms, along with well-described comorbid depression and anxiety may indicate why traditional, tissue-only focused physical therapy treatments struggle to produce successful outcomes. Newly designed psychologically informed treatments aiming at fear-avoidance, pain catastrophizing, trauma, depression, anxiety, and PTSD-symptoms have shown some potential benefits alongside physical treatments offered by physical therapists. The use of these psychologically informed treatments, along with movement-based treatments of exercise and manual therapy may hold the key to a more successful outcome. New research shows that patients in MVCs prefer psychologically informed treatments delivered by physical therapists, versus psychologists and overall prefer it over a pharmaceutical approach to their pain. This session will discuss the various factors associated with poor outcomes, screening tools that should be used by clinicians and various treatments to help decrease pain and disability.
