
207Slips and Falls
Intervertebral disks are oen associated with accidents and vehicular collisions.
Normally, people older than 40 years have the beginnings of degenerative disk bulging. In
many low-impact collisions, a common complaint is that the bulging was due to a collision
involving some sort of whiplash-related injury. Tables 7.13 through 7.15 list the properties
of the disks of the spine.
Table 7.9 Compressive Properties of Vertebrae
Vertebrae
Compressive
Breaking Load (kg)
Ultimate Compressive
Strength (kg/mm
2
)
Ultimate Percentage
Contraction
Cervical 315 1.03 6.6
Upper thoracic 308 0.72 5.5
Middle thoracic 354 0.61 5.2
Lower thoracic 458