Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
The results from this experimental study showed that cranial base fractures are consistently
created by blows to the lateral aspect of the skull, and the fracture radiates from the location of
impact along the areas of least resistancewithin the base (
Kroman et al., 2005
). In this study, the
question involved the biomechanics of how cranial base fractures are created, and was best
answered by an experimental design. By using experimental research, not only was the
general question answered (“How are cranial base fractures created?”), but information
was also collected on other relevant topics such as “How much force does it take to create
a cranial base fracture?” and “How do cranial base fractures propagate through the skull?”
FUTU
RE DIRECTIONS IN SKELETAL TRAUMA RESE
ARCH
Research into skeletal trauma has grown by leaps and bounds over the last two decades
and will most likely grow exponentially in future years. As technology improves at an
increasing rate, these advances will be applied to the field of experimental biomechanics
and forensics. The field of trauma research will undoubtedly see changes and refinement
in how fracture data are acquired during experimental research, how the experimental
research is filmed, and how the research is analyzed. Another area that will likely become
a mainstay of trauma analysis in the future is
finite element analysis
. Finite element analysis
involves computational models of structures (from bridges to bones), which can be used to
simulate force, such as an impact, and predict the response of the material or tissue. It is
conceivable that in the near future cadaveric studies will be a thing of the past, and instead
replaced by very complex finite element models.
For students who are interested in pursuing research or learning more about skeletal
trauma, it would bewise to start with an immersion into the science behind the biomechanics
of bone trauma. There are excellent texts on the basic principles of biomechanics, including
Nordin and Frankel (1989)
and
Low and Reed (1996)
. An understanding of physics and
biomechanics will serve as the foundation for your study and research into skeletal trauma.
Once you have the basic foundation mastered, a good starting point is to read some of the
applications of trauma analysis to biological anthropology, as seen in
Galloway (1999)
and
Schmidt and Symes (2008)
. Once you have a question or a research project in mind, the final
stepwould be a consultationwith the anthropology and engineering departments, as well as
your advisor and committee, to finalize the elements of the research design.
All of the recent changes and growth in the field are what make research into skeletal
trauma one of the most exciting areas of skeletal biology and biological anthropology. For
students, this is an extremely exciting and rewarding area of skeletal biology, and it will
be the research by today's students that helps to truly drive this exciting field forward!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Great thanks are due to the editors of this volume, Drs. Elizabeth A. DiGangi and Megan K.
Moore for the chance to contribute and participate. Thanks are also due to Lucas B. Meadors
for support and comments.
