Neck Pain a Multi-Billion Dollar Pain in the Neck

Health care costs are soaring. What is being done about it?

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) November 28, 2007 -- Neck pain exacts a huge toll on a person’s quality of life while generating major expenses related to treatment, disability costs and compensation claims. One estimate puts the direct costs for simple whiplash at over $9 billion in the US alone not including the costs associated with the loss of work productivity and human suffering.

What can be done about it? The World Congress on Neck Pain takes place in Los Angeles, California from January 20 to 22, 2008. “Neck pain will afflict most adults at some point in their lives and can interfere with work, social, recreational and family activities,” said Dr. Matthew Liang, Professor at Harvard Medical School and the Scientific Chair for the World Congress. “The Congress brings together health care professionals and auto-engineers along with health care funders and government policy makers to address this major health issue.” The Congress will present the findings of the latest research [synthesis on how to best prevent, diagnose and manage neck pain.

The Congress brings together health care professionals and auto-engineers along with health care funders and government policy makers to address this major health issue.

Whether caused by motor vehicle collisions, recreational or occupational injuries, it is estimated that neck pain disables 5% of the population and between 10% to 20% of the population experience persistent or chronic neck pain. Up to 70% of the population will experience neck pain in their lifetime.

Unsafe cars create needless pain and disability.

Studies by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety have found that seat/head restraints in more than 60 percent of car models fall short of current state-of the art protection from neck injury or whiplash. Research shows that vehicles with better head restraint design significantly reduce personal injury claims.

Dr. Adrian Lund, the Section Chair on Automotive Safety at the Congress, says “During the past decade, the design of automobile seats and head restraints has been changing. Many head restraints in newer vehicles are higher and closer to occupant’s heads with seats designed to absorb the energy of rear impacts in order to reduce the risk of neck injury during a crash. The Congress will present evidence showing how these design changes are affecting the risk of neck injury in rear crashes.”

For more information about the World Congress on Neck Pain visit www.neckpaincongress.org. All speakers at the Congress including Dr. Liang and Dr. Lund are available for interviews and can be contacted through:

Connie St. John or Maggie Saxon
The St. John Group
415-454-2243 (Pacific Standard Time)

Co-sponsors of the World Congress on Neck Pain include (see website for full list):
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
American Public Health Association
American Physical Therapy Association

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