• D Chan, R Goldberg, A Tascone, S Harmon, and L Chan.
• Department of Emergency Medicine, Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Medical Center.
• Ann Emerg Med. 1994 Jan 1;23(1):48-51.

Study ObjectiveTo determine the effects of standard spinal immobilization on a group of healthy volunteers with respect to induced pain and discomfort.DesignProspective study.SettingUniversity teaching hospital.Type Of ParticipantsTwenty-one healthy volunteers with no history of back disease.InterventionsSubjects were placed in standard backboard immobilization for a 30-minute period. Number and severity of immediate and delayed symptoms were determined.Measurements And Main ResultsOne hundred percent of subjects developed pain within the immediate observation period. Occipital headache and sacral, lumbar, and mandibular pain were the most frequent symptoms. Fifty-five percent of subjects graded their symptoms as moderate to severe. Twenty-nine percent of subjects developed additional symptoms over the next 48 hours.ConclusionStandard spinal immobilization may be a cause of pain in an otherwise healthy subject.

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