Gender differences in neck biomechanics relevant to whiplash injury

女性比男性有更高的鞭打损伤风险。这种更高风险的原因尚不清楚，但这种性别差异为我们提供了一个机会，让我们更好地了解鞭打损伤是如何发展的。这项拟议研究的总体目标是确定可能解释女性鞭打损伤风险高于男性的解剖学和生物力学因素。为了实现这一目标，将对女性和男性进行以下方面的比较：1)颈部肌肉的大小和形状；2)不同姿势和不同自愿任务和撞击暴露时颈椎的排列和运动模式；以及3)不同自愿任务和撞击暴露时产生的肌肉激活模式。为了从男性和女性之间更明显的体型差异中分离出性别差异，拟议的研究将对四组受试者进行：两组50%的女性和50%的男性，以及两组尺寸匹配的女性和男性。这项研究的第一部分将使用受试者的磁共振(MR)扫描来检查他们的颈部肌肉，第二部分将使用X光透视来检查他们颈椎的运动模式，第三部分将使用植入颈部肌肉的电线来测量他们颈部浅层和深层肌肉的肌肉活动。根据我们之前的工作，预计在肌肉大小、颈椎姿势和运动以及肌肉激活模式方面存在性别差异，即使在尺寸匹配的女性和男性受试者中也是如此。这项拟议的研究的直接好处将是更好地理解女性鞭打损伤风险高于男性的原因。这项拟议研究的间接好处将是开发女性碰撞测试假人和计算机模型所需的数据，这些假人和计算机模型可以用来设计座椅和头枕，以保护最有可能遭受鞭打伤害的人群--女性。

Females have a higher risk of whiplash injury than males.The reason for this higher risk is not clear, but this difference between genders provides an opportunity to increase our understanding of how whiplash injuries develops. The overall objective of the proposed research is to identify anatomical and biomechanical factors that potentially explain the increased risk of whiplash injury in females compared to males. To achieve this objective, female/male comparisons will be made of 1) the size and shape of the muscles of the neck, 2) the alignment and motion patterns of the neck vertebra in different postures and during different voluntary tasks and impact exposures, and 3) the muscle activation patterns generated during different voluntary tasks and impact exposures. In order to isolate gender differences from the more obvious size differences between women and men, the proposed studies will be performed on four groups of subjects: two groups of 50th percentile females and 50th percentile males, and two groups of size-matched females and males. Part 1 of this research will use magnetic resonance (MR) scans of the subjects to examine their neck muscles, Part 2 will use x-ray fluoroscopy to examine the movement patterns of their neck vertebra, and Part 3 will be performed using wires implanted in the neck muscles to measure muscle activity in their superficial and deep neck muscles. Based on our prior work, gender-related differences in muscle size, neck vertebral posture and movement, and muscle activation pattern are expected to be present, even in size-matched female and male subjects. The direct benefit of the proposed research will be a significantly better understanding of the reasons for higher whiplash injury risks in females compared to males. The indirect benefits of the proposed research will be the data needed to develop female crash test dummies and computer models that can be used to design seats and head restraints to protect the segment of the population--females--at greatest risk for whiplash injury.