Abstract

Whiplash injuries represent 80% of the soft tissue injuries resulting from road accidents, and more than 10,000 are recorded in Québec every year. Although the majority of the victims recover in a few weeks, a significant proportion of them have permanent sequelae. Several studies indicate that depression is a risk factor for prolonged disability following a whiplash injury, but the lack of knowledge on how it contributes to pain-related disability jeopardizes efforts to develop effective interventions. The aim of this study is to examine, during a functional lifting task involving an upper limb, the experiential, expressive, motor and neuromuscular factors that could explain the relationship between depression and disability in individuals with whiplash injuries. The researchers will recruit 140 patients prior to their participation in a rehabilitation program, with half of them corresponding to the criteria defining depression, and the other half not. An understanding of the pre-mentioned factors could provide avenues for research leading to the development of interventions to reduce the impacts on the state of health of whiplash victims.