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Low back pain is a widespread disorder in industrialized countries. Based on epidemiological reports, 80% of the population faces this activity limitation at least once in their lifetime which places tremendous human and economic costs to individuals and societies. Handling heavy loads, with fast trunk motions, repetitive movements, and awkward postures are some of the risk factors related to low back injuries. Hence, better understanding of the neuro-musculo-skeletal system performance would help us to recognize various abnormalities in spine behavior and assist us in a way to design the workplace to reduce the risk of injuries. For this purpose, we can use biomechanicals model to... 

Low Back Pain (LBP) is one of the most common diseases in the world that according to the statistics 80% of people experience it at least once in their lifetime and a lot of money is spent for its therapy. Finding some methods for prediction and diagnosis of people with LBP from people without LBP helps to reduce these expenses. One of the most effective methods for diagnosing this problem, is the modeling and simulation of its skelomuscular system. However, because of the complications in modeling, simulation and neural control of human spine, it’s not been studied comprehensively. On the other hand, most of the numerical methods are based on optimization and approximation of muscle... 

Spine column is the most important musculoskeletal structures. One of the serious health problems in societies, especially among aged population is osteoporosis. Loss of bone density in bone structures is called osteoporosis which increases the risk of fracture due to a decrease of bone stiffness and bone strength. Spine is the most common sites for osteoporosis-related fractures. Current assessment of osteoporosis status is based on bone densitometry tools like QCT (Quantitative Computed Tomography) or DEXA (Dual Energy X-ray absorptiometry). With these methods it is only possible to estimate density without any consideration the morphology of trabecular making parts like rods and plates.... 

In this study, by dividing spine motion in two part, ordinary movement and initial-final accelerated movement, the commands of CNS are evaluated by optimization methods to find synchronous and time varying synergies. Spine, which is a complex structure of vertebrae and cartilage, has been modeled by a 3D inverted pendulum with a ball and socket joint at L4/L5 incorporated with 18 muscle fascicles. Planning of point-to-point spine motion is performed by optimal control method in combined with cost function of kinematics and kinetic features that available in spine structure. In the second step, coactivation of muscles is predicted by utilizing static optimization along with stability... 

In present study we are going to introduce a biomechanical model of lumbar spine with using finite element method and use it for evaluating the behavior of spine under different loading conditions.Spine as the main part of muskloskeletal system of human body is tolerating various forces during daily activities.So it's important to know about different approaches for studing the loading conditions wich is using for evaluating the behavior of lumbar implants. In other words in order to obtain correct outputs we need to simulate the real condition in the experiments. We can use biomechanical models in order to comparison the different approaches  

80% of people in all over the world, experience Low Back Pain (LBP) once in their lives. LBP leads to dysfunction of spine. About 25% of LBP relates to the intervertebral disks which in the critical cases, a Posterior Lumbar Surgery (PLS) on the one or more lumbar disks should be done. Due to the some procedure such as retracting, cutting or denervation of muscles, PLS can hurt trunk muscles and spine. Thus, investigation of LBP and postoperative complications of PLS can help us in recognition of causes of LBP and PLS complications and modification of PLS approaches. The objective of this research was investigation of effects of LBP and PLS on the biomechanical function of spine. Pattern of... 

The main task of the spine from the mechanical point of view, withstand external loads and allow the upper body movements. Hence, as the chief cause of back pain are mechanical parameters. Inability to directly measure the forces acting on the spine as in vivo, further brings us to the use of computer models in various branches of orthopedic biomechanics leads.
The purpose of this project in the first place) to make a detailed finite element model of the L4-L5 spinal motion but, in the second place) loads imposed on it except move in a certain physical activities, taking into account the forces acting muscles (calculated by a musculoskeletal model is available) under which they operate,... 

Low back pain is one of the musculoskeletal diseases which is an important issue for general health of society in both quality of life and costs. Most of the clinical instructions employ exercise as a clinical treatment in order to cure chronic low back pain. General and core stability exercises are of common prevalence, however, there are disputes about the effectiveness of these exercises in the literature. The aim of this study is to answer the question whether stabilizer exercise can significantly alter the stability of vertebral column in comparison with general exercises. Hence, experiments have been designed and conducted. The participants have been divided to two group. Within six... 

Biomechanical models are indispensable tools in predictions of muscle forces and joint loads towards design of prevention and treatment programs. In most of these models intervertebral joints are modeled as hinge joints thus neglecting the existing translational degrees of freedom (DOFs). This simplification can alter the results of the model as changes in model kinematics affect the prediction of the joint and muscle forces. The current study aims to evaluate the likely effect of this simplification on the predictions of the musculoskeletal model of AnyBody Modeling System (AMS) for muscle forces and spinal loads. Clinical application of this study is in assessing the limitation of... 

Low back pains (LBP) are prevalent and costly. One of the important factors causing LBP is excessive axial compression and shear forces that are applied on the intervertebral discs during different activities. Due to lack of direct in vivo measurement methods for estimating these loads, musculoskeletal biomechanical models have been emerged as indispensable tools under various activities. Different biomechanical models have been suggested to estimate muscle forces and spinal loads base on optimization, EMG and hybrid (EMG assisted optimization, EMGAO) methods. Although there have been a number of studies on the differences between various optimization and EMG-based methods, there has been no... 

The 1991 NIOSH Lifting Equation (NLE) is widely used to assess risk of injury to the spine by providing estimates of the recommended weight limit (RWL) in hands. The present study uses two biomechanical models of the spine to verify whether the RWL generates L5-S1 loads within the limits (e.g., 3400 N for compression recommended by NIOSH and 1000 N for shear recommended in some studies).Severallifting activities are simulated here to evaluate the RWL by the NLE and the L5-S1 loads by the models. In lifting activities involving moderate to large forward trunk flexion, the estimated RWL generates L5-S1 spine loads exceeding the recommended limits. The NIOSH vertical multiplier is the likely... 

Direct in vivo measurements of spinal loads and muscle forces are invasive. Investigators have thus used musculoskeletal biomechanical models that require kinematic data including trunk and pelvis angular movements as their inputs. . Novel devices measure anglular movements using both inertial sensors (such as gyroscopes and accelerometers) and miniature magnetometers. Relative low cost, portability, and accuracy are among specific characteristics of inertial tracking devices. The main objective of the present study was set to measure spinal kinematics including the lumbopelvic rhythm as the ratio of total lumbar rotation over pelvic rotation during trunk sagittal movement which is essential... 

Manual material handling (MMH) activities are identified as risk factors for occupational low back pain (LBP). Task-related variables including load and posture characteristics are required as input into these models and tools for estimation of trunk external moment. Biomechanical modeling studies that aim to mathematically estimate low back loads currently need an inevitable parallel time-consuming in vivo study in an equipped laboratory to measure trunk posture under physical activities. Inertial sensors as a portable, accurate, almost inexpensive, and small device could be very helpful in order to capture the kinematic data of movement in human activities. My master thesis aims to... 

Several geometrically-detailed passive finite element (FE) models of the lumbar spine have been developed and validated under in vitro loading conditions. As these models are devoid of muscles, they are either not used to simulate in vivo activities or muscle forces are modeled by a hypothetical compressive follower load (FL). A number of symmetric and asymmetric static tasks were first simulated using a validated musculoskeletal model of the thoracolumbar spine to predict trunk muscle forces. The predicted muscle forces along with the gravity loading were then applied to a passive FE model of the L4-L5 motion segment (developed and validated here) to estimate load sharing among the disc,... 

Neck fracture caused by impacts on the head and neck during road accidents annually imposes a great cost to the people hospitals and the economy of country. Most of these accidents, regardless of cartilaginous injury causes sudden pressure to the spinal cord so it seems necessary to understand the biomechanical response of the neck and the mechanism of injury to reduce costs. Many computational models related to the neck injury have been developed recently. The aim of this project is to investigate the effect of frontal and rear impacts to the head and neck during road accidents. There are many researches have used elastic property for tissues but a little portion of research in this field... 

In this project we plan to propose a mechanism for controlling the profile of vertebra displacment and intera-discal pressure in in-vitro tests. Spineis the one of the most important members of the human musculoskeletal system. Health and stability of the spine help the people to moves on two legs. So any problems with this organ, causing movement problems and pain. For the treatment of spinal diseases, several methods such as surgery, insertion of implants and stabilizing were used. To ensure the accuracy of these methods, laboratory examination is essential. One of the ways to test these interventions, the implementation of in vitro tests on samples obtained from the bodies of the spine.... 

Obesity is a worldwide growing health challenge affecting ~30% of the world's population. Increased rate of disc degeneration and herniation, low back pain and surgery has been reported in obese individuals. Although obesity-related low back diseases have multifactorial etiology, presumably greater mechanical loads on the spine of heavier individuals during their daily activities may be considered as a risk factor. Likely larger trunk muscle sizes, disc sizes and thus passive stiffness in heavier individuals may however partly or fully offset the effect of their additional body weight on the spinal loads. In absence of in vivo approaches, the present study aims to construct subject-specific... 

Musculoskeletal abnormalities affect joints and change their range of motion (RoM). Correcting these abnormalities thoroughly depends on the information related to the normal spine movement. Therefore, spine motion analysis can be used as an important tool to distinguish between healthy and patient individuals as well as to determine the intensity of such diseases. Additionally, existing biomechanical models need kinematics data in order to analyze spinal forces. The present study hence aims to measure 3D range of motion of thoracic and lumbar spine using inertial sensors. Their small size, portability, low weight, and relatively low cost make inertial sensors as indispensable tools in... 

The spine like every other mechanical pillar, is exposed to buckling and loss of stability. While existing biomechanical models emphasize the pressure force on the disk as the main cause of injury, there is also a possibility of local buckling phenomenon in vertebral discs. Because of the prevalence and high cost of lower back pain, it is essential to evaluate the forces carried by disks and lumbar muscles during occupational activities more accurately. In this regard, hybrid EMG-assisted optimization (EMGAO) approaches are most common methods for estimation of spinal loads. These models, not only use EMG data to be physiologically creditable, but also satisfy equilibrium requirements at all... 

Spinal diseases are prevalent and costly. Excessive mechanical loads on the spine play a crucial role in the etiology of back disorders. To estimate spinal loads one needs to calculate unknown muscle forces through either an optimization or EMG-driven approach. Both approaches involve several assumptions and simplifications regarding anatomy of muscles,mechanical properties of the spinal tissues, and estimation of the muscle forces. An alternative approach is to estimate spinal loads through effect of muscle forces, i.e., kinematics generated by muscles rather than forces generated by muscles. The present study hence aims to estimate spinal loads using a detailed finite element (FE) model of...