Technical Paper
The Effect of Age and Gender on the Three-Dimensional Kinematics of the Pediatric Cervical Spine
2007-06-12
2007-01-2495
Spine kinematics information can have important implications for biomechanical model development, anthropomorphic test device development, injury prevention, surgical treatment and safety equipment design. There is a paucity of data of this type available for children. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of age and gender on the three-dimensional kinematics of the pediatric cervical spine. Sixty subjects from the pediatric population were recruited and divided into groups based on gender and age (young group age 4-10 years and older group age 11-17 years). Subjects actively moved their head in axial rotation, lateral bending and flexion-extension. An optoelectronic motion analysis system recorded the position of infrared markers placed on the first thoracic vertebrae (T1) and on tight-fitting headgear worn by subjects. Helical axis of motion (HAM) parameters were calculated for the head with respect to T1.