• Hiroshi Takasaki, Julia Treleaven, Venerina Johnston, Wolbert Van den Hoorn, Andry Rakotonirainy, and Gwendolen Jull.
• From the NHMRC Centre of Clinical Research Excellence-Spinal Pain, Injury and Health, Division of Physiotherapy, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia (HT, JT, VJ, WvdH, GJ); and Centre for Accident Research & Road Safety-Queensland, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia (AR).
• Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2014 Aug 1;93(8):665-74.

ObjectiveIndividuals with chronic whiplash-associated disorders (WADs) often note driving as a difficult task. This study's aims were to (1) compare, while driving, neck motor performance, mental effort, and fatigue in individuals with chronic WAD against healthy controls and (2) investigate the relationships of these variables and neck pain to self-reported driving difficulty in the WAD group.DesignThis study involved 14 participants in each group (WAD and control). Measures included self-reported driving difficulty and measures of neck pain intensity, overall fatigue, mental effort, and neck motor performance (head rotation and upper trapezius activity) while driving a simulator.ResultsThe WAD group had greater absolute path of head rotation in a simulated city area and used greater mental effort (P = 0.04), but there were no differences in other measures while driving compared with the controls (all P ≥ 0.05). Self-reported driving difficulty correlated moderately with neck pain intensity, fatigue level, and maximum velocity of head rotation while driving in the WAD group (all P < 0.05).ConclusionsIndividuals with chronic WAD do not seem to have impaired neck motor performance while driving yet use greater mental effort. Neck pain, fatigue, and maximum head rotation velocity could be potential contributors to self-reported driving difficulty in this group.

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