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Researchers capture biomechanical data on cervical spine injuries

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University of New Hampshire researchers have captured biomechanical data on a high school football player’s broken neck. Although the player has fully recovered from his injury, the data yielded from his experience could ultimately affect safety and equipment standards for athletes, according to a letter published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

University of New Hampshire associate professor of kinesiology Erik E. Swartz, PhD, collaborated with Steven P. Broglio, PhD, and others on the study that led to the letter.

“This is really novel,” Swartz stated in an University of New Hampshire press release. “You can’t create a cervical spine fracture in a healthy human, but here you have an actual event where we captured data during an actual cervical spine injury.”

The data was captured while the study authors were studying concussions. Broglio had fitted the helmets of football players at a high school in the Midwest with padded sensors as part of the Head Impact Telemetry System, which measures the location and magnitude of impacts to the helmet.

During a head-down tackle, an 18-year-old cornerback wearing one of the study-modified helmets suffered both a concussion and a fracture of the left facet of C6 at the inferior articulation process, extending into the laminar junction. Further investigation found left-sided joint effusion and muscle edema at C6 and C7.

As a result, the authors report they now have the exact location and angle of the impact recorded, as well as linear and rotational acceleration data. The research reportedly brings real-world information to the study of axial load impact to the head and its effects on the spine.

“We now have data that we know caused a serious spine injury in a healthy, 18-year-old strong-bodied athlete,” Swartz stated in the release. “It sends a huge message to the athletic community about head-down impact.”

Reference:

• Broglio SP, Swartz EE, Crisco JJ, Cantu CR. In vivo biomechanical measurements of a football player’s C6 spine fracture. N Engl J Med. 2011; 365:279-281.

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