Biomechanical Investigation of Thoracolumbar Spine Fractures in Indianapolis-type Racing Car Drivers during Frontal Impacts

The purpose of this study is to provide an understanding of driver kinematics, injury mechanisms and spinal loads causing thoracolumbar spinal fractures in Indianapolis-type racing car drivers. Crash reports from 1996 to 2006, showed a total of forty spine fracture incidents with the thoracolumbar region being the most frequently injured (n=15). Seven of the thoracolumbar fracture cases occurred in the frontal direction and were a higher injury severity as compared to rear impact cases. The present study focuses on thoracolumbar spine fractures in Indianapolis-type racing car drivers during frontal impacts and was performed using driver medical records, crash reports, video, still photographic images, chassis accelerations from on-board data recorders and the analysis tool MADYMO to simulate crashes. A 50^th percentile, male, Hybrid III dummy model was used to represent the driver. Simulation output of thoracolumbar spine forces ranged from 683 to 4547 N in the x-direction, 475 to 6623 N in the y-direction, and 4825 to 13,211 N in the z-direction. Thoracolumbar moment output ranged from 113 to 1281 Nm in the x-direction, 146 to 622 N in the y-direction, and 75 to 295 N in the z-direction. Simulation output is consistent with previously published literature and can be utilized to improve future modeling work.