Pediatric Cervical Spine Strength and Stiffness in the Sagittal Plane

In the pediatric safety field the use of computer simulations to assess passenger kinematics is becoming more prevalent. However, there is a need for volunteer data to serve as a baseline for biomechanical responses to better appraise the biofidelity of these simulations. The objective of this study is to provide volunteer data of cervical spine strength and stiffness in 5-7 year old children. An isokinetic dynamometer was used to quantify strength and stiffness measurements. Twenty-three subjects with a mean age 5.9±0.7 participated. Children were stronger at mid-range of motion in both flexion and extension, and strongest in extension. Stiffness calculations for initial motions were higher for both flexion (0.277 Nm/°) and extension (0.227 Nm/°) than secondary motions (0.148 Nm/° and 0.095 Nm/°, respectively). This study offers a unique perspective to pediatric volunteers’ c-spine strength and stiffness, and can provide a better understanding of the head-neck kinematics of this young population.