The authors report an overview of the results from a research project which examines the dynamics of the cervical spinal cord and spinal column during injurious motions. This was done using physical models of the head and cervical spinal column, including the brain and spinal cord, which contain an embedded grid in the spinal cord and brain materials to facilitate measurement of the strains in the spinal cord. These models were loaded dynamically under conditions similar to those seen in automobile impacts. Using high speed video, the deformations of the grids were recorded, and the strains and strain rates in the spinal cord were calculated. These strains and strain rates were then compared with data from nerve fibres which indicate that the stretch and the loading rate in the cord are sufficient to cause loss of the ability to conduct nerve impulses. In addition, a two dimensional finite element model was constructed in order to examine the effect of variations in the material and loading parameters on the strain fields developed in the spinal cord. (A)
Samenvatting