The effects of whiplash-associated disorders on the kinematic and the electromyographic responses of individuals submitted to anterior surface translations in the sitting position /

The goal of this Master's project was to characterize the postural control patterns of individuals with chronic whiplash-associated disorders and to compare these patterns with those of healthy individuals. The postural reactions in response to low-intensity translations of the sitting position were assessed by way of kinematic and electromyographic analyses. We found that whiplash individuals display an earlier onset of their head displacement and a pattern of trunk displacement characterized by greater flexion at the upper levels of the spine, compared to the lower levels. Moreover, whiplash individuals present a tendency for a late recruitment of their neck flexors and for a greater use of a pattern of neck extensor muscle inhibition. These results suggest that individuals with whiplash-associated disorders may compensate their altered neck functional ability by modifying their relative movements along the spine and by adopting altered motor strategies to compensate for their painful muscles.