Is it time for a complete overhaul of car wreck rescue techniques?

For decades, the absolute priority when rescuing victims after
traffic accidents has been to minimise movement of the spine.
Emergency services go to great lengths to keep the patient still
while they are cut free from the wreckage, because a shift of just
a millimetre could potentially lead to the person needing to use a
wheelchair. Or at least, that’s what firefighters used to think.
Now, thanks to new research using simulated accident rescues, that
wisdom is starting to change. Anand Jagatia speaks to the
Guardian’s science correspondent, Linda Geddes, and emergency
medicine consultant Dr Tim Nutbeam about the findings, and what
they mean for survivors of motor vehicle collisions.. Help support
our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod