Recovery after minor traffic injuries: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Objectives: To assess the efficacy of an acute multidisciplinary group intervention on self-perceived recovery following minor traffic-related musculoskeletal injuries.

Design: Open, randomized controlled trial.

Setting: A large inner-city hospital.

Participants: 127 patients (> or = 15 y) with traffic-related acute minor musculoskeletal injuries and predicted to be at risk for delayed recovery were randomized into an intervention group (n = 65) or a control group (n = 62).

Intervention: Four 1 1/2-h sessions in open groups with the aim of providing information about injuries in general, calling attention to the importance of self-care and promoting physical activity. In addition, both groups received standard medical care by regular staff.

Outcome measures: The main outcome measure was self-reported recovery at 12 mo. Secondary outcome measures were ratings of functional health status (SF-36, SMFA), pain and mental distress on visual analog scales, and self-reported duration of sick leave.

Results: At 12 mo, there was a 21.9 percentage point difference: 52.4% of the patients in the intervention group and 30.5% in the control group reported self-perceived recovery (95% confidence interval for the difference 5%-38%; p = 0.03). There were no statistically significant differences between the groups regarding the secondary outcome measures.

Conclusion: A simple group intervention may accelerate the self-perceived recovery in selected patients. As we did not find evidence of improvements in the secondary outcome measures, the clinical significance of the treatment benefit remains to be defined.

Figure 1. Flowchart

Figure 2. The SF-36 Subscores at Inclusion and at 12-mo Follow-Up

The upper black lines represent the 95% CI for the mean for the subscores at inclusion, and the lower red lines represent the subscores at 12-mo follow-up. The solid lines represent the ratings of the intervention group and the dotted lines the ratings of the control group. The x-axis represents the different dimensions of the SF-36: physical functioning (PF), limitations in usual role activities due to physical health problems (RP), bodily pain (BP), general health (GH), vitality (VT), social functioning (SF), limitations in usual role activities due to emotional problems (RE), and mental health (MH).