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The effect of spinal immobilization on healthy volunteers
D Chan1, R Goldberg, A Tascone
1Department of Emergency Medicine, Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Medical Center.
Study Objective:
To determine the effects of standard spinal immobilization on a group of healthy volunteers with respect to induced pain and discomfort.
Design:
Prospective study.
Setting:
University teaching hospital.
Type Of Participants:
Twenty-one healthy volunteers with no history of back disease.
Interventions:
Subjects were placed in standard backboard immobilization for a 30-minute period. Number and severity of immediate and delayed symptoms were determined.
Measurements And Main Results:
One hundred percent of subjects developed pain within the immediate observation period. Occipital headache and sacral, lumbar, and mandibular pain were the most frequent symptoms. Fifty-five percent of subjects graded their symptoms as moderate to severe. Twenty-nine percent of subjects developed additional symptoms over the next 48 hours.
Conclusion:
Standard spinal immobilization may be a cause of pain in an otherwise healthy subject.