Physical and biomechanical aspects of "whiplash injury".

Results: In car-accidents forces and torquets influence the cervical verteb ra by traction and torsion. Moreover, due to different acceleration of head and body the cervical spine has to absorb and transmit - very often - grea t additional impulses. These different physical effects might cause damages of the cervical spine, whereby the acceleration (i.e. speed change per tim e) of the car, its passengers and organs - respectively - gives more physic al informations than speed change" alone. Important technical details influ encing the extent of the damage of cervical vertebra are - the kind of coll ision (frontal, lateral, stern), - presence of belts and/or air-bags and - position of sitting and geometry. Preferentially cervical vertebra is injur ed at the levels C0/2 and C4/5 in adults and C0/2 and C2/3 in children. Con clusions: The documentation of physical details concerning the accident mig ht be very important for the judgement of acute cervical spine injury as we ll as its prognosis, respectively.