• Ernesto Anarte-Lazo, Deborah Falla, Cleofas Rodriguez-Blanco, and Carlos Bernal-Utrera.
• Doctoral Program in Health Sciences, University of Seville, Seville, Spain.
• Clin J Pain. 2024 Mar 11.

ObjectiveTo understand whether pain-related factors soon after a whiplash injury can explain the presence of chronic headache.Materials And MethodsA prospective study with a follow-up of 6 months was performed including 42 patients with acute whiplash-associated disorders. Neck pain intensity, the Neck Disability Index, the Tampa Scale Kinesiophobia, Pain Catastrophizing Scale, and the Anxiety State-Trait Scale were assessed at baseline. Differences in clinical characteristics between those with and without headache at 6 months were determined. The relative risk of presenting with headache was evaluated. A logistic regression model was performed to assess which factors at baseline could explain the presence of headache at 6 months.ResultsAt 6 months, 1/3 of the sample presented with chronic headache. Significant differences were found for several outcome measures when people with and without headache were compared (P<0.001). The highest relative risk of presenting with headache was found for moderate/severe levels of pain catastrophizing during the acute phase (RR=15.00, 95%CI=3.93, 57.22). The level of neck pain intensity and pain catastrophizing at baseline partially explained the presence of headache at 6 months (R2=0.627).DiscussionThe risk of presenting with persistent headache attributed to a whiplash injury is increased when people present with higher neck pain intensity and pain catastrophizing soon after a whiplash injury. Evaluating neck pain intensity and pain catastrophizing at baseline may assist in identifying those more likely to develop chronic headache, potentially providing an opportunity for early targeted interventions.Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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