Study of stress and strain in human spine

Identifying the stress and strain distributions in human spines is critical for understanding and predicting spine injuries. A mltiphysics, finite element numerical simulation program, COMSOL is employed to predict the stress and strain in the whole spine. The study included 3D modeling of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae from T1 to L5, with intervertebral discs, and facet joints. The forces applied are chosen to mimic the different physiological environments that the spine would undergo in the daily activities. The spine was subjected to compression, extension and lateral bending loads, following the methods reported in the literature from cadaveric experiments. In this study, the vertebral bodies were assumed as perfectly cortical rigid bones, without bony endplates; while the spinal ligaments were modeled with a linear elastic constitutive law. The results show a map of stress and strain for applying different types of loads, indicating the areas where stress will be severe.