Head and Neck Dynamics: Prediction of Sports Related Head Impact Characteristics

Abstract

Brain injuries sustained during an impact to the head during sport and recreation related activities are a common occurrence. They can cause adverse effects in injured participants, some of which are identifiable immediately following contact, while others may not manifest for years. The study of concussive and sub-concussive impacts of sport and recreation activities is important in understanding the mechanism of impact, resultant brain response, and how injury manifests to improve risk of injury assessments, game-play decisions, and protective equipment. This study aims to relate the kinematic motion experienced by the head during impact, to the characteristics, magnitude, direction, and location, of the force applied to the head during contact. To investigate this relationship, a pendulum impact device was designed to replicate on-field impacts of contact sports, kinematic data was collected from an anthropomorphic test device during an applied impact, and the resultant kinematics were related to applied generalized force through Euler-Lagrange dynamics of a simplified rigid link model. Through this system of dynamic equations, the characteristics of applied force were predicted within reasonable bounds; the results of this study could lead to better on-field injury assessments and improved protective equipment.