WHIPLASH INJURIES INCREASED WITH CERVICAL FUSION

WHIPLASH INJURIES INCREASED WITH CERVICAL FUSION

There are many instances of clients having had a history of cervical fusion (single or multi-level) that predated an automobile accident. How do you quantify bodily injury and ensuing functional loss in this situation? It has been hypothesized that the inflexibility of the fused segments will result in increased injury to the levels above and below the fusion. Prior to March 2008, there had been no studies documenting this occurrence. Dang et al. (2008) reported injury to the anterior longitudinal ligaments during 8g simulated crashes in single and double level fusion. It was determined that the mean peak increase in strain to the anterior longitudinal ligament in single level fusion was 15.5% and in double level fusion was 40.8%. The results of this study show that damage to the soft tissue structures are increased in the adjacent motion segments due to the necessity for compensation with the acquired loss of flexibility.

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Reference:

Dang, A. B., Hu, S. S., & Tay, B. K. (2008). Biomechanics of the anterior longitudinal ligament during 8 g whiplash simulation following single- and contiguous two-level fusion: A finite study. Spine, 33(6), 607-611.