Spotlight on Research
This paper sought to compare the functionality of a standard cervical collar compared to an improvised one. The researchers took 24~healthy volunteers aged between 25 and 45~years. While seated, they applied, in a random order, either the improvised collar or a standard collar. The improvised collar was fashioned from a rolled-up fleece jumper according to a method commonly taught on wilderness medicine courses. Head movement was then measured with a handheld goniometer to judge maximal neck flexion/extension, rotation and lateral flexion. Repeated measurements were taken for each participant with each collar type (three measurements per movement type). Participants were also asked to rate their comfort levels on a scale of 1 to 5.
The results failed to demonstrate a statistically significant difference in terms of neck movement between the two collars. The fleece collar was however found to be more comfortable than the standard collar (P<0.001). This study appears to suggest that an improvised collar of this type may be non-inferior to a standard collar in uninjured and awake casualties. The increased comfort values may also suggest a decreased likelihood of secondary injuries, such as pressure sores from an improvised collar.
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