A biomechanical analysis of head impact injuries to children

Mohan, D.<sup>1</sup>; Bowman, B. M.<sup>2</sup>; Snyder, R. G.<sup>3</sup>; Foust, D. R.<sup>3,4</sup>

Affiliations

¹Research Department, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Washington, D.C. 20037

²Biomathematics Department, Highway Safety Research Institute, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich. 48109

³Biomedical Department, Highway Safety Research Institute, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich. 48109

⁴General Motors Technical Center, Warren, Mich. 48090

Abstract

Head-first free falls of 30 children, 1-10 yr old, and one adult, 21 yr old, were studied to determine fall circumstances and injuries sustained. The falls of six children and one adult were simulated using the MVMA Two-Dimensional Crash Victim Simulator computer model. The data show that head-first falls of children onto rigid surfaces from heights as low as 2 m can result in serious injuries. Conservative head injury tolerance limits are estimated to be 200-250g for peak head acceleration.

Links

DOI: 10.1115/1.3426254

WoS: A1979HT57800005

History

Received: 1979-03-26

Cited Works (9)

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Cited By (18)

Year	Entry
2005	Doorly MC, Phillips JP, Gilchrist MD. Reconstructing real life accidents towards establishing criteria for traumatic head impact injuries. In: Gilchrist MD, ed. IUTAM Symposium on Impact Biomechanics: From Fundamental Insights to Applications. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer; 2005:81-90. Solid Mechanics and Its Applications; vol 124.
2005	Doorly MC, Horgan TJ, Gilchrist MD. Reconstruction of head injury cases arising from falls using the UCD brain trauma model. In: Gilchrist MD, ed. IUTAM Symposium on Impact Biomechanics: From Fundamental Insights to Applications. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer; 2005:431-440. Solid Mechanics and Its Applications; vol 124.
1990	Murgatroyd JA, Bullen F. Shock absorbing surfaces for childrens' playgrounds. In: Proceedings of the 1990 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 12-14, 1990; Lyon, France.257-268.
1996	Thibault KL, Margulies SS. Material properties of the developing porcine brain. In: Proceedings of the 1996 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 11-13, 1996; Dublin, Ireland.75-85.
1999	Margulies SS, Meaney DF, Smith D, Chen X-H, Miller R, Raghupathi R. A comparison of diffuse brain injury in the newborn and adult pig. In: Proceedings of the 1999 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 23-24, 1999; Sitges, Spain.133-145.
2002	Mohan D. Traffic safety and thirty years of biomechanics research: a personal adventure. In: Proceedings of the 2002 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 18-20, 2002; Munich, Germany.
1999	Prange MT, Kiralyfalvi G, Margulies SS. Pediatric rotational inertial brain injury: the relative influence of brain size and mechanical properties. In: Proceedings of the 43rd Stapp Car Crash Conference. October 25-27, 1999; San Diego, CA. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers:333-341. SAE 99SC23.
2004	Goldsmith W, Plunket J. A biomechanical analysis of the causes of traumatic brain injury in infants and children. Am J Forensic Med Pathol. June 2004;25(2):89-100.
2004	Yoganandan N, Pintar FA. Biomechanics of temporo-parietal skull fracture. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon). March 2004;19(3):225-239.
2006	Doorly MC, Gilchrist MD. The use of accident reconstruction for the analysis of traumatic brain injury due to head impacts arising from falls. Comput Methods Biomech Biomed Eng. December 2006;9(6):371-377.
1998	Thibault KL, Margulies SS. Age-dependent material properties of the porcine cerebrum: effect on pediatric inertial head injury criteria. J Biomech. December 1998;31(12):1119-1126.
2000	Margulies SS, Thibault KL. Infant skull and suture properties: measurements and implications for mechanisms of pediatric brain injury. J Biomech Eng. August 2000;122(4):364-371.
2002	Prange MT, Margulies SS. Regional, directional, and age-dependent properties of the brain undergoing large deformation. J Biomech Eng. 2002;124(2):244-252.
2003	Gefen A, Gefen N, Zhu Q, Raghupathi R, Margulies SS. Age-dependent changes in material properties of the brain and braincase of the rat. J Neurotrauma. November 2003;20(11):1163-1177.
2010	Delye H. Better Bicycle Head Protection by Improving the Knowledge of the Biomechanics of Head Injuries [PhD thesis]. Leuven, Belgium: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven; March 2010.
2018	Oeur RA. The Effects of Reconstructed Head Impact Event Parameters on Risk of Sport Related Concussions [PhD thesis]. Ottawa, ON: University of Ottawa; 2018.
1997	Thibault KL. Pediatric Head Injuries: The Influence of Brain and Skull Mechanical Properties [PhD thesis]. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania; May 1997.
2005	Shah S. Skull Fracture Prediction Using Finite Element Model With Skull Thickness Variation [Master's thesis]. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University; 2005.