The influence of surface padding properties on head and neck injury risk

A validated computational head-neck model was used to understand the mechan ical relationships between surface padding characteristics and injury risk during impacts near the head vertex. The study demonstrated that injury ris k can be decreased by maximizing the energy-dissipating ability, of the pad , choosing a pad stiffness that maximizes pad deformation without bottoming out, maximizing pad thickness, and minimizing surface friction. That incre asing pad thickness protected the head without increasing neck loads sugges ts that the increased cervical spine injury incidence previously observed i n cadaveric impacts to padded surfaces relative to lubricated rigid surface s was due to increased surface friction rather than pocketing of the head i n the pad.