Self-reported Dysphagia and Pharyngeal Volume Following Whiplash Injury.

The swallowing questions were added to a parent study whose original aim was not swallowing, so the analysis was exploratory. There was no baseline swallowing screen to exclude pre-existing dysphagia. The Dysphagia Handicap Index was developed mostly for neurological conditions and head and neck cancer, so it may not capture the specific swallowing experience after whiplash. The study used only self-report and MRI pharyngeal volume. It did not use instrumental swallowing assessment, so it could not confirm aspiration or swallowing biomechanics. The longitudinal analysis was small. Only 31 participants had early and late MRI, neck disability, and swallowing questionnaire data, and only 24 had both neck disability and swallowing questionnaire data at 12 months. Repeated swallowing questionnaires may have made participants more aware of symptoms, which could contribute to reported worsening over time. The study did not control directly for other factors during follow-up that could influence swallowing or recovery, although it excluded neurological and traumatic conditions.

The supplied text lists NIH extramural research support. It does not provide an author conflict of interest statement or say whether the funder designed the study.

Do not conclude that whiplash causes a swallowing disorder through reduced pharyngeal volume. The study found no relationship between pharyngeal volume change and self-reported dysphagia. It also used a questionnaire developed mostly for neurological conditions and head and neck cancer, not a validated post-whiplash dysphagia measure, and it did not use instrumental swallow assessment to confirm impairment.