Abstract
Objective
To compare the effectiveness of the Aspen, Aspen Vista, Philadelphia, Miami-J and Miami-J Advanced collars at restricting cervical spine movement in the sagittal, coronal and axial planes.
Methods
Nineteen healthy volunteers (12 female, 7 male) were recruited to the study. Collars were fitted by an approved physiotherapist. Eight ProReflex (Qualisys, Sweden) infra-red cameras were used to track the movement of retro reflective marker clusters placed in predetermined positions on the head and trunk. 3D kinematic data was collected during forward flexion, extension, lateral bending and axial rotation from uncollared and collared subjects. The physiological range of motion in the three planes was analysed using the Qualisys Track Manager system.
Results
The Aspen and Philadelphia collars were found to be significantly more effective at restricting movement in the sagittal plane compared to the Vista (p<0.001), Miami-J (p<0.001 and p<0.01) and Miami-J Advanced (p<0.01 and p<0.05) collars. The Aspen collar was significantly more effective at restricting axial rotation than the Vista (p<0.001) and the Miami-J (p<0.05) collars. The Aspen, Philadelphia, Miami-J and Miami-J Advanced collars were comparable at restricting lateral bending but the Vista was significantly less effective than all the collars at restricting movement in this plane.
Conclusion
The Aspen collar was found to be superior to the other collars when measuring restriction of movement of the cervical spine in all planes, particularly the sagittal and transverse planes, while the Aspen Vista was the least effective collar.
