| Description |
Head and neck injuries in sports and motor-vehicle collisions are prevalent health issues which require more investigation into risk-reducing solutions. Several athletic coaching strategies and automobile safety features have been proposed and implemented, with many gaps still remaining. In this study, we investigated the how timed warnings and preparation can reduce the injury risk before an impact. Two voluntary warnings, Non-Directional and Directional, were presented to participants before an impact to prepare them by triggering neck muscle co-contraction or changes in posture. A startle warning induced involuntary co-contraction in neck muscles before an impact and an Unwarned (control) condition was assigned as the baseline. Preparation time and the muscle activation characteristics altered head kinematics before and after the impacts and were investigated in this study based on gender. Results showed significant attenuation in head kinematics when the participant was prepared for the impact compared to no preparation. Women had higher head kinematics than men despite the same applied force, but the muscle activation characterization between genders was not significantly different. The preparation time needed for all warnings was calculated and showed faster preparation time for startle trials compared to voluntary. However, kinematics response of the head was only significantly lower in sagittal extension trials after startling stimuli. The data from this experimental data may help improve simulation studies when participants are not in their neutral posture. |
