Thoracic dysfunction in whiplash associated disorders: A systematic review

The purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate the scope and nature of dysfunction in the thoracic region in patients with whiplash associated disorder. The authors conclude that considerable evidence supports thoracic pain and dysfunction in patients with WAD, involving primarily nerves and muscles. Notwithstanding the low/very low level of evidence from this review, findings do support a more extensive clinical evaluation of patients presenting with WAD. Additional high quality research is required to further characterise dysfunction across other structures in the thoracic region, including but not limited to the thoracic spine (mobility and posture) and thoracic muscles (stiffness, activation patterns). In turn this may inform the design of clinical trials targeting such dysfunction.