Date of Award

Spring 1987

Document Type

Thesis - Restricted

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Biomedical Engineering

First Advisor

Sances, Anthony

Second Advisor

Myklebust, Joel

Abstract

The cervical region is the most vulnerable region of the human spine to injury. Cervical injuries most often occur as a result of falls or impact to the head, such as those seen in automobile crashes and sports accidents. The largest number of cervical injuries are seen at levels C4-C7. Therefore it is essential to understand the biomechanical properties of the cervical spine. The intervertebral disc acts as a cushioning device which may lessen injury by absorbing energy. Perhaps by understanding the properties of the disc in the cervical region a better mannikan [sic] can be developed for studying car accidents by using this data for mathematical modelling information. Or perhaps for football and motorcycle helmet design by realizing just what forces the human neck can withstand. It is my hope that these studies will help to understand how the cervical region behaves at each disc level and that this data be used to further education of those who may wish to model a reliable dummy neck so that safe and accurate tests may be run.

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