title: Acceleration perturbations of daily living. A comparison to 'whiplash'.
abstract: METHODS
  This study measured repeated human head accelerations (g) during daily activities.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Perturbations of daily living were compared to similar data from low velocity rear-end motor vehicle accidents.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Past assumptions suggest that motor vehicle accident severity does not correlate with the degree of sustained injury. Early engineering studies indicated that occupant disturbance in a low velocity motor vehicle accident is minor.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eight volunteers were perturbed with 13 daily activities. Helmets on the heads of volunteers were instrumented with tri-planar accelerometers with output sampling of 500 Hz, sensitivity of 0.02 g, and a range of +/- 20 g.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was wide inter-subject response for various perturbations. Plopping backward into a chair caused maximum peak acceleration horizontally at 5.6 g and vertically at 8.5 g, with force vector of 10.1 g at 54.9 degrees. Mean impulse duration was 0.19 sec. There was no hint of injury in any subject.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Perturbations of daily living compared similarly to the jostling expected in low velocity "whiplash"-type motor vehicle accidents.
authors.affiliation: Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia.
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Weir-Jones
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Motiuk
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Flewin
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Goring
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kobetitch
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Broadhurst
mesh_terms: D000054:Acceleration; D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D001336:Automobiles / Q000592:standards; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D005260:Female; D006257:Head / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009333:Neck / Q000502:physiology*; D014911:Whiplash Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology