An investigation into neck injuries in simulated frontal impacts

Abstract

Spinal injury is one of the most debilitating and costly injuries. It is a devastating condition that disrupts the life of the injured and their families. Vehicle crashes are the most common cause of fractures, soft tissue injuries and dislocations of the neck and cervical spine. Among vehicle crashes frontal impacts are the most frequent cause for head and neck injuries. Neck injuries are often caused due to unusual head motion. Improvement of the knowledge of the correlation between crash dynamics, human body behaviour and internal neck phenomena could contribute to the development of new protection systems for the neck. The most acceptable way to study the behaviour of the human body and internal interactions during car crashes is mathematical modeling as it is non-invasive and repeatable. In this work, computer simulations have been performed using a multibody dynamic model of the cervical and thoracic-lumbar spine, where rigid bodies are connected by articulated joints and spring-damper elements. The models were developed using the ‘Working Model 2D’ and were used to simulate frontal impacts in vehicles. The models were validated based on experimental data available in literature. The verified models were used to analyse the behaviour of the driver and vehicle kinematics and calculate the internal neck forces and motion. Principle virtual power of neck was applied at inter-vertebral levels for various impact speeds. Principle virtual power of neck was then correlated with real world crash data of neck injuries. It has been shown that principle virtual power of neck at each intervertebral level correlates well with the crash data and can be used as a predictor of neck injuries.