The biomechanics of automotive cervical fractures

Moffatt, Edward A.; Siegel, Arnold W.; Huelke, Donald F.; Nahum, Alan M.

Affiliations

¹Consulting Engineer, Wheaton, Illinois

²University of California-San Diego, San Diego, California

³Department of Anatomy, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan

⁴Department of Surgery, University of California-San Diego, San Diego, California

Abstract

The mechanism of cervical injuries in automobile collisions can often be determined through accident reconstruction. Presented here is a description of some of the causes of cervical loading observed in crashes and resultant injury patterns which are commonly observed. The causes of cervical forces are described as either inertial loads, arising from unequal restraint of the head and torso, or compressing loads, due to external forces pressing against the body in opposite directions. The difference between these forces is described, as it usually results in different mechanisms of injury, requiring different forms of protection.

Cited Works (4)

Year	Entry
1971	Portnoy HD, McElhaney JH, Melvin JW, Croissant PD. Mechanism of cervical spine injury in auto accidents. In: 15th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). October 20-23, 1971; Colorado Springs, CO.55-83.
1977	Marquardt JF. Collision severity: measured by δv. In: 21st Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). September 15-17, 1977; Vancouver, BC.379-390.
1978	Huelke DF, Mendelsohn RA, States JD, Melvin JW. Cervical fractures and fracture-dislocations sustained without head impact. J Trauma. 1978;18(7):533-538.
1960	Roaf R. A study of the mechanics of spinal injuries. J Bone Joint Surg. November 1960;42B(4):810-823.

Cited By (8)

Year	Entry
2011	Chen H, Zhang L, Wang Z, Yang KH, King AI. Biomechanics of the neck. In: Klika V, ed. Theoretical Biomechanics. InTech; 2011:385-402.
2010	Schmitt K-U, Niederer PF, Muser MH, Walz F. Trauma Biomechanics: Accidental Injury in Traffic and Sports. 2nd ed. Deidelberg, Germany: Springer; 2010.
1996	Hassan AM, Parkin S, Mackay M. Spinal injuries in car collisions. In: 40th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). October 7-9, 1996; Vancouver, BC.19-31.
1997	Hassan AM, Cuerden RW, Mackay M. Cervical spine injury not caused by head contact. In: 41st Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). November 10-11, 1997; Orlando, FL.279-289.
2008	Ridella SA, Eigen AM. Biomechanical investigation of injury mechanisms in rollover crashes from the CIREN database. In: Proceedings of the 36th International Workshop on Human Subjects for Biomechanical Research. November 2, 2008; San Antonio, TX.
2008	Ridella SA, Eigen AM. Biomechanical investigation of injury mechanisms in rollover crashes from the ciren database. In: Proceedings of the 2008 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 17-19, 2008; Bern, Switzerland.33-47.
1981	Huelke DF, O'Day J, Mendelsohn RA. Cervical injuries suffered in automobile crashes. J Neurosurg. March 1981;54(3):316-322.
1986	Huelke DF, Nusholtz GS. Cervical spine biomechanics: a review of the literature. J Orthop Res. 1986;4(2):232-245.