Articles: trauma.
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Headache is the most overwhelmingly reported symptom following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). The upper cervical spine has been implicated in headache etiology, and cervical dysfunction may result in neck pain that influences the experience of headache. Sleep problem is the second most reported symptom following mTBI. We explored the contribution of neck pain (as a potential proxy for cervical dysfunction) on headache burden along with the contribution of sleep quantity following mTBI. ⋯ Amongst service members who sought service from primary care, neck pain explains more variance in headache burden than mTBI history or sleep quantity, supporting that cervical dysfunction may be a salient factor associated with headache. Neck functioning may be a potential area of intervention in the management of headaches.
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Recent evidence suggests that frailty may be a more reliable measure than age to predict outcomes following trauma. Frailty leads to prolonged hospitalisation and increased burden on the hospital system in older patients. The aim of this study is to review the prevalence of frailty in our trauma patients and the association of frailty with hospital-based and twelve-month outcomes. ⋯ After adjusting for confounding factors, frailty is associated with nearly five times the increase in odds of a discharge to further inpatient care. Long term outcomes are also significantly poorer for patients with frailty. Identifying frailty on admission may help outcomes by targeting this patient group and optimising healthcare resource usage.