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Firefighter helmets and cervical intervertebral Kinematics: An OpenSim-Based biomechanical study.
Gustavo M Paulon1, S Sudeesh2, Leonardo H Wei3
1Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
Journal of Biomechanics
|October 25, 2024
Summary
Firefighter helmet design significantly impacts neck movement and spinal kinematics. Helmets with a higher center of mass (COM) restrict motion more, increasing injury risk. Lowering the COM is crucial for neck health.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Occupational Health
- Musculoskeletal Modeling
Background:
- Cervical spine kinematics are vital for understanding degenerative changes from prolonged helmet wear.
- Firefighter helmets, particularly heavy or imbalanced ones, may negatively affect neck mobility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze cervical intervertebral kinematics using OpenSim.
- To investigate the impact of firefighter helmet inertial properties on cervical spinal mobility.
Main Methods:
- 36 firefighters (18 male, 18 female) performed neck movement tasks (flexion, extension, lateral bending) under three conditions: no helmet, US-style helmet (superior COM), and European-style helmet (inferior COM).
- Custom OpenSim head-neck models were created to calculate cervical intervertebral kinematics for each condition.
Main Results:
- Helmet use significantly altered neck and cervical spinal kinematics (p < 0.001).
- The US-style helmet, despite being lighter, induced greater angular changes and higher peak velocities in flexion/extension compared to the European-style helmet.
- Discrepancies were noted between OpenSim-derived and previously reported in-vivo range-of-motion data.
Conclusions:
- Firefighter helmet design, specifically the center of mass (COM) placement, significantly influences cervical kinematics.
- Designing helmets with a lower profile (less superior COM) is recommended to improve neck range of motion and mitigate injury risk.
