Failure of the human lumbar motion-segments resulting from anterior shear fatigue loading

Journal
Industrial health  
Volume
54
Issue
4
Start Page
308
End Page
314
Citation
Industrial Health 4 (54): 308-314 (2016)
Publisher DOI
10.2486/indhealth.2015-0162
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84982953210
An in-vitro experiment was designed to investigate the mode of failure following shear fatigue loading of lumbar motion-segments. Human male lumbar motion-segments (age 32-42 years, n=6) were immersed in Ringer solution at 37°C and repeatedly loaded, using a modified materials testing machine. Fatigue loading consisted of a sinusoidal shear load from 0 N to 1,500 N (750 N ± 750 N) applied to the upper vertebra of the motion-segment, at a frequency of 5 Hz. During fatigue experiments, several failure events were observed in the dynamic creep curves. Post-test x-ray, CT and dissection revealed that all specimens had delamination of the intervertebral disc. Anterior shear fatigue predominantly resulted in fracture of the apophyseal processes of the upper vertebrae (n=4). Exposure to the anterior shear fatigue loading caused motion-segment instability and resulted in vertebral slip corresponding to grade I and ‘mild’ grade II spondylolisthesis, as observed clinically.
DDC Class
570: Biowissenschaften, Biologie
610: Medizin