Outcome after soft-tissue injury of the cervical spine. A prospective study of 93 car-accident victims.

Ninety-three cases with a car-accident soft-tissue injury of the cervical spine were studied prospectively. Neck pain and stiffness were the main initial symptoms, while 4 cases had abnormal neurologic signs. At follow-up, on an average 2 years after the accident, 42 percent had recovered completely, 15 percent had minor discomfort, and 43 percent had discomfort sufficient to interfere with their capacity for work. The statistical analysis of 17 factors, including acute symptoms and physical findings, as well as the forces and directions of impact, head rests, radiographs, length, and sex, did not reveal any factor of prognostic importance.