Flexion-torsion neck injury in rear impacts

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Kihlberg, Jaakko K.

Flexion-torsion neck injury in rear impacts

13th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM)

Abstract

All rear impact cases in the ACIR files were screened in regard to occurrence of neck injuries not ascribed to contact with any interior component of the car, called flexion-torsion neck injuries.

In paired comparisons between occupants of the same car it was observed that the flexion-torsion neck injury frequency was lowest among rear passengers, highest among front passengers, and that the frequency among female occupants was about twice as high as among male occupants. Full data from unpaired group comparisons yielded the same result.

Frequency of flexion-torsion neck injury was found to show a mild positive correlation with stature of the occupant, especially for male rear passengers.

It was observed that if the front seat was damaged so as to allow the seat back to bend rearward and/or the entire seat to move forward, the frequency of flexion-torsion neck injuries was substantially less than for those cases in which the seat remained intact.

The data also include a description of the nature of the flexion-torsion neck injuries.

Cited By (32)

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