Download or read book Development of a Cervical Spine Model for Rear Impact Conditions written by Michael J. Keller and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 65 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Abstract: The cost of automobile accidents is high to both individuals and society. In 2006, approximately 43,000 people were killed in car accidents and 2,575,000 more were injured. Rear impact collisions alone accounted for 740,000 neck injuries, most associated with whiplash, carrying a total cost of $8 billion. Whiplash remains a challenging problem because injury mechanisms are poorly understood; however, studying detailed intervertebral kinematics can provide valuable insight into possible mechanisms. Currently, The Ohio State University Injury Biomechanics Research Laboratory is involved in research studies to examine detailed intervertebral kinematics by testing post mortem human subjects (PMHS) in varying speed rear impact collisions. However, experimental tests with PMHS are limited because they are very expensive, subjects are hard to obtain, and too few tests are run for statistical significance. The development of an accurate cervical spine model would help to overcome these limitations. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to develop a constrained, 2-D flexion-extension model of the cervical spine and head that is appropriate for use in low to moderate speed rear impact collisions. To achieve this goal, ADAMS, a simulation tool for multibody dynamics, was used to develop the model. Geometry for the model was obtained from an actual cervical spine specimen using 3-D reconstruction techniques. The solid body geometry was constrained by applying ligaments, approximated as linear spring/damper elements, and non-linear intervertebral discs. The model was simulated by directly applying T1 kinematics from experimental testing directly to T1 of the model. Validation was performed by comparing head kinematics from the model and experimental response. In the low speed simulation, acceleration validation results matched well except for a ~10 ms lead in the model response and accurately predicted head displacements. In the moderate speed simulation, error and lead time increased significantly, resulting in less accurate head displacements.