Brain Scans Within Days of Neck Injury May Predict Chronic Pain

‘The brain makes the decision about whether a movement should be painful or not,’ one of the study authors said. 

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A new study suggests that scientists can predict the development of chronic pain just three days after a whiplash injury—an injury caused by the neck bending forcibly forward and then backward—by analyzing brain activity patterns and anxiety levels.

Whiplash is a neck injury that usually occurs from rear-end car crashes and less commonly occurs from sport injuries, physical violence, and other trauma.