Cervical intervertebral disc injury during simulated frontal impact

Cervical disc injury due to frontal impact has been observed in both clinical and biomechanical investigations; however, there is a lack of data that elucidate the mechanisms of disc injury during these collisions. The goals of the current study were to determine the peak dynamic disc annular tissue strain and disc shear strain during simulated frontal impact of the whole human cervical spine model with muscle force replication at 4 g, 6 g, 8 g and 10 g horizontal accelerations of the T1 vertebra. These data were compared with those obtained during physiological loading, and with previously reported rear impact data. Peak disc shear strain and peak annular tissue strain during frontal impact exceeded (p<0.05) corresponding physiological limits at the C2-C3 intervertebral level, beginning at 4 g and 6 g, respectively. These subsequently spread throughout the entire cervical spine at 10 g, with the exception of C4-C5. The C5-C6 intervertebral level was at high risk for injury during both frontal and rear impacts, while during frontal impact, in addition to C5-C6, subfailure injuries were likely at superior intervertebral levels, including C2-C3. The disc injuries occurred at lower impact accelerations during rear impact as compared with frontal impact. The subfailure injuries of the cervical intervertebral disc that occur during frontal impact may lead to the chronic symptoms reported by patients, such as head and neck pain.