Upper extremity injuries have been shown to be in the top four body regions in terms of human capital costs as well as life-years lost for drivers.Airbag deployment and direction of impact have significant influence on these injuries. With regard to pedestrians and motor cyclists, upper extremity injuries are also common. Little is known about the injury mechanisms of non-airbag induced upper limb injuries, due to the variety of potential contacts for the upper limb within the vehicle and the associated loading possibilities. Population issues such as gender and age factors are significant and injury outcome is strongly influenced by the initial position and condition of the upper limb, but injury predictors have not yet been formally developed. Muscle tensing is also significant. Areas for further knowledge include more information such as detailed aetiology of upper limb injuries by specific anatomic locations to determine relative importance in terms of disability and impairment; specific injury sources and mechanisms for different crash modes including patterns of injury and loading relative to variations in initial limb position; development of information about joint injuries; influence of musculature; and second generation airbag influences.
Abstract