The effect of gender and body size on angular accelerations of the head observed during everyday activities - biomed 2010

Abstract

Research suggests gender and body size affect head injury tolerance. In this study, angular accelerations and velocities of the head were measured for 18 adult volunteers during typical everyday activities. Peak resultant angular head accelerations and velocities for each subject were compared via T-tests and ANOVAs to determine significant differences based on gender and body size. Angular accelerations and velocities of everyday activities are determined by individual effort and are independent of size or gender. Highest peak head accelerations occurred during jumping activities and highest velocities occurred in head rotation activities such as nodding the head. A healthy adult can be reasonably expected to sustain up to 931 rad/s2 of angular acceleration and 9.02 rad/s of angular velocity without risk of injury.