CONCLUSIONS There was a consistent positive association among studies that have examined the association between MVC-related neck injury and future NP .
OBJECTIVE To summarize the literature that has examined the association between a motor vehicle collision ( MVC ) related neck injury and future neck pain ( NP )  in comparison with the population that has not been exposed to neck injury from an MVC .
LITERATURE SURVEY Neck injury result ing from an MVC is associated with a high rate of chronicity .
Prognosis studies indicate 50 % of injured people continue to experience NP a year after the collision .
This is difficult to interpret due to the high prevalence of NP in the general population .
Pain after whiplash: a prospective controlled inception cohort study
OBJECTIVES In Lithuania , there is little awareness of the notion that chronic symptoms may result from rear end collisions via the so-called whiplash injury . After most such collisions no contact with the health service is established . An opportunity therefore exists to study post-traumatic pain without the confounding factors present in western societies . METHODS In a prospect i ve , controlled inception cohort study , 210 victims of a rear end collision were consecutively identified from the daily records of the Kaunas traffic police .  Neck pain and headache were evaluated by mailed question naires shortly after the accident , after 2 months , and after 1 year . As controls , 210 sex and age matched subjects were r and omly taken from the population register of the same geographical area and evaluated for the same symptoms immediately after their identification and after 1 year . RESULTS Initial pain was reported by 47 % of accident victims ; 10 % had neck pain alone , 18 % had neck pain together with headache , and 19 % had headache alone . The median duration of the initial neck pain was 3 days and maximal duration 17 days . The median duration of headache was 4.5 hours and the maximum duration was 20 days . After 1 year , there were no significant differences between the accident victims and the control group concerning frequency and intensity of these symptoms . CONCLUSIONS In a country were there is no preconceived notion of chronic pain arising from rear end collisions , and thus no fear of long term disability , and usually no involvement of the therapeutic community , insurance companies , or litigation , symptoms after an acute whiplash injury are self limiting , brief , and do not seem to evolve to the so-called late whiplash syndrome
CONCLUSIONS There was a consistent positive association among studies that have examined the association between MVC-related neck injury and future NP .
OBJECTIVE To summarize the literature that has examined the association between a motor vehicle collision ( MVC ) related neck injury and future neck pain ( NP )  in comparison with the population that has not been exposed to neck injury from an MVC .
LITERATURE SURVEY Neck injury result ing from an MVC is associated with a high rate of chronicity .
Prognosis studies indicate 50 % of injured people continue to experience NP a year after the collision .
This is difficult to interpret due to the high prevalence of NP in the general population .