Characterization of vertebral angle and torso depth by gender and age groups with a focus on occupant safety.

Conclusions: The changes in the vertebral angles, as well as the anterior and posterior spine-to-skin distances along the sagittal plane, were determined as a function of age and gender. The effect was greatest in the mid-thoracic area. Spine alignment and body shape differences need to be considered in human mathematical models used to develop safety countermeasures for the older population, because they may affect the loading path and lead to different seating postures or belt positioning. Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Traffic Injury Prevention to view the supplemental file. PMID: 24279968 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Traffic Injury Prevention - Category: Occupational Health Authors: Tags: Traffic Inj Prev Source Type: research