A 3-D Finite Element Biodynamic Analysis of the Human Lumbar Spine

چکیده مقاله

The purpose of this present work is to provide a tool to better understand mechanically related pathologies of the lumbar spine by providing spinal cord deformations in different loading cases. In fact, spinal cord injury resulting from a traumatic movement leads to a deformation of the neural and vascular structure of the spinal cord. Your spinal cord is a bundle of nerves that runs down the middle of your back. It carries signals back and forth between your body and your brain. A spinal cord injury disrupts the signals. Spinal cord injuries usually begin with a blow that fractures or dislocates your vertebrae, the bone disks that make up your spine. Since the magnitude of the spinal cord stress is correlated with the pressure of the vertebral elements, stresses will be computed on all these components. Physical properties of the vertebrae, various ligaments, the discs, and the spinal cord are described under simple loading as compression, and combined loading, flexion and lateral bending to evaluate the pressure undergone by different components of the lumbar unit. A nonlinear three-dimensional finite element method is used as a numerical tool to perform all the computations. Finite element numerical simulation is an effective tool for analyzing phenomena that cannot be clarified by experimental methods. Moreover, numerical simulation techniques have the potential to reduce costs and to save time during the development of new effective spinal treatment methods or implants. Consequently, there is a need to obtain more and more realistic and correct numerical models for the very complicated structure. This study provides accurate results for the localization and magnitude of maximum equivalent stress and shear stress on the lumbar unit and especially for the spinal cord. These computations clearly show that having critical values for the spinal cord could be used to better understand some pathology, such as, neurological deficit. Also, the computations showed that the maximum equivalent stresses for flexion combined with lateral bending is stronger than those due to simple flexion or lateral bending.