Probing fundamental mechanics of the spine: Normal and injury mechanics

腰背部和颈椎疼痛和损伤是加拿大人的主要负担。脊柱是一个非常复杂的神经、肌肉和骨骼系统。然而，它在最佳机械负载下茁壮成长，因此当机械负载过多或过少时，它会变得痛苦和残疾。这项工作的重点是了解脊柱和相关组织的生物力学功能，并将这些基础知识作为基础，最终开发出更好的疼痛预防和康复方法。例如，我们破译损伤机制的工作表明，椎间盘突出和突出有明显的机械原因（反复和长时间的屈曲），这可以证明预防方法的发展是合理的。在过去的25年里，NSERC资助了一个非常详细的胸腰椎解剖模型，该模型利用了表征每个受试者运动和肌肉激活的生物信号。通过这种方式，可以获得对每个个体在组织应力分布和结构稳定性方面的策略的结果的独特见解。在下一个拨款的任期内，主要的重点包括增加颈椎和骨盆与髋关节，从整个脊柱/骨盆的角度探索功能的基本机制。例如，我们期望发现与区域脊柱力学如何影响髋关节力学有关，反之亦然。我们方法的另一个独特之处在于结合了体内和体外技术。我们继续探索椎间盘损伤的过程，重点记录终板、骨小梁和椎间盘环的级联损伤，并协同工作，在核室密封过程后使用生物聚合物增强恢复功能。

Low back and cervical spine pain and injury is a major cost to Canadians. The spine is a very complex neural, muscular and skeletal system. However, it thrives on optimal mechanical loading so that it becomes painful and disabled when the mechanical loading is either too much or too little. The focus of this work is directed towards understanding biomechanical function of the spine and related tissues, and using this fundamental knowledge as a foundation, to ultimately develop better pain prevention and rehabilitation approaches. For example, our work deciphering injury mechanisms has shown that disc bulging and herniation have a distinct mechanical cause (repeated and prolonged flexion) which can justify developments for prevention approaches. Over the past 25 years of NSERC funding a highly detailed anatomical model of the thoracolumbar spine has been developed that utilizes the biological signals characterizing movement and muscle activation from each subject. In this way unique insight is obtained into the consequences of the strategies of every individual in terms of tissue stress distribution, and stability of the structure. For the tenure of the next grant, major thrusts include the addition of a cervical spine, and a pelvis with hips to probe basic mechanisms of function from the perspective of the full spine/pelvis. We anticipate discoveries related to how regional spine mechanics influence hip mechanics and vice versa, for example. Another uniqueness in our approach is to combine both in vivo and in vitro techniques. We continue to explore the process of intervertebral disc damage with a focus on documenting the cascade of damage from the endplate, trabecular bone and annulus together with collaborative work to restore function with bio-polymer augmentation following a sealing process of the nucleus compartment.