BACKGROUND: Motor vehicle accidents (MVA) are the most common causes of whiplash injuries. Difficulties with driving and changes in driving behavior are reported by subjects with chronic whiplash associated disorders (WAD). Proper eye and head coordination is required for driving tasks. Disturbances of eye and head coordination were found in these subjects with chronic WAD.
OBJECTIVES: The objective of this pilot study is to evaluate eye, head and trunk coordination in subjects with chronic WAD due to MVA and healthy controls during a target-tracking task using a functionally oriented approach in the context of driving.
DESIGN: Cross-sectional.
METHOD: The subjects performed target tracking tasks that reproduced eye and head movements required while driving. Head and trunk motion was captured using a motion capture system and eye movement was captured with an eye-tracker. Response time, time to target, and eye, head, and trunk contribution of movement were measured.
RESULTS/FINDINGS: Subjects with chronic WAD presented delayed response time and time to reach the targets with both eyes and head compared to the control group, and tended to compensate the lack of neck motion with increased eye motion.
CONCLUSIONS: This study shows indications of impairments of eye and head coordination in chronic WAD due to MVA when compared to healthy subjects. These alterations may have implications for driving safety.