Static and dynamic comparison of human cervical spinal ligaments

Static and dynamic properties of each spinal element are essential to construct a mathematical model to predict the mechanism of spinal injury. However, there is a lack of experimental data on the biomechanical parameters of these components. This study was performed to acquire biomechanical information on human cervical spinal ligaments, namely, the ligamentum flavum and the anterior longitudinal ligament, at various load rates. 68 ligaments from C2-T1 were tested in situ at each spinal level in a specially designed frame. Uniaxial tension was applied at a constant displacement rate to failure. Information from this study indicates a significant degree of rate sensitivity to material properties such as ultimate strength and stiffness, increasing with loading rate.<>