Headache features in people with whiplash associated disorders: A scoping review

BACKGROUND: Whiplash-associated headache (WAH) is one of the most common symptoms after a whiplash injury, leading to high disability. Nevertheless, the clinical characteristics of WAH have not been well described.

OBJECTIVE: To synthesise the existing literature on the clinical characteristics of WAH.

DESIGN: Scoping review.

METHODS: The protocol for this scoping review was registered in Open Science Framework and the PRISMA extension for Scoping Reviews tool was used to ensure methodological and reporting quality. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science and Scopus. The search was performed by one author and the screening of articles was conducted by two authors independently.

RESULTS: A total of 11363 articles were initially identified and finally 26 studies were included in the review. Headache intensity was the most commonly reported feature. Headache duration, frequency and location were also reported in at least four studies. Few studies reported physical impairments that may be related to the presence of WAH. A differentiation with concussion characteristics was only performed in eight studies.

CONCLUSION: WAH appears to be of mild to moderate intensity, typically with episodes of short duration which is commonly experienced in the occipital region amongst other regions, and with a tendency to reduce in intensity over time.