Biomechanical assessment of soft tissue neck injuries in cases with long sick leave times

Schmitt, K.-U.; Muser, M.; Vetter, D.; Walz, F.

Affiliations

¹Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich, Switzerland

²Working Group on Accident Mechanics, University and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich, Switzerland

Abstract and keywords

A database was established collecting 919 cases of claimed cervical spine disorders (CSD) sustained in automotive accidents. All cases had a sick leave time of more than four weeks. Data was obtained from a major Swiss accident insurer. An assessment scheme was developed that takes into account technical, medical, and biomechanical aspects. All cases were evaluated according to this scheme. It was found that a history of neck injury in terms of pre-existing damage or pre-existing signs and symptoms has a significant influence on the overall assessment. 52% of the cases assessed would have been judged differently without considering the patients medical history.

Keywords: cervical spine; neck injury; whiplash associated disorders; motor vehicle accident; biomechanics

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Cited By (2)

Year	Entry
2010	Schmitt K-U, Niederer PF, Muser MH, Walz F. Trauma Biomechanics: Accidental Injury in Traffic and Sports. 2nd ed. Deidelberg, Germany: Springer; 2010.
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