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Browsing by Author "Marinho, Irene Beatriz Pinheiro Cardoso"

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  • The evolution of spinal fractures since the use of the HANS
    Publication . Marinho, Irene Beatriz Pinheiro Cardoso; Duby, Jean; Nunes, Jorge Fernando Pon
    Introduction HANS is the short form for Head and Neck Support and it is a device used by athletes in Motorsports competition. This system reduces the probability of head and neck injuries resulting from a crash in a racing car. The principle of the HANS is to prevent the back and forth movement of the head in a crash. This technology protects from fatal accidents. Goals Testing the rate of cervical fractures from the moment the device (HANS) was worn; the rate of dorsal and lumbar fractures since the use of the HANS; The relationship between the use of the HANS /type of HANS and the level of the fractures; the link between the lesion and the seat, the surface and the Championship. Methodology This is a retrospective, observational and analytical study of FIA´s athletes. It considers athletes who had an accident which resulted in a broken spinal column since 2010 to 2015 (inclusive). The collected data was carried out by a semi-structured survey. It was used a statistical, observational and descriptive analysis of the surveys. Results In this study the sample is N=14. These are the athletes who meet the two criteria: they are FIA´s high-priority athletes and they had a fracture in the spinal column resulting from an accident with a Motorsports racing car. They are mainly male athletes (78,6%), 64,3% are between 20-30 years old (inclusive) and most of them (85,7%) are European. Only N=1 had a spinal lesion before the accident. 41,7% of the athletes had a lumbar fracture and 50% a dorsal one. Only one athlete had a cervical fracture. 92,9% of the athletes were wearing the HANS in the moment of crash. Only N=1 wasn’t using it. The athlete that wasn´t using the HANS had a cervical fracture. The majority of the fractures were in drivers. Lumbar lesions are more prevalent in co-drivers (60%); however, dorsal lesions are commonly found in drivers (66,7%). Dorsal fractures are also common on gravel surface (50%); however, the lumbar fractures are more common in tarmac (60%). Both fractures are more common in Rally Championships (75%). Conclusions In this study, the rate of cervical fractures with the HANS is null as it was expected from previous studies. It can’t be extended to all athletes because there is only one case that had a cervical fracture without the HANS; however, it is possible because all others cases that were using the HANS didn’t have a cervical fracture. Learning from prevention in Motorsports is also betting on future areas of road safety. There are many other issues related to injury prevention in Motorsports that need to be studied.
    2016-6-29Master thesis Open access Show more