KINEMATIC RESPONSES AND SEGMENTAL STIFFNESS OF NORMAL AND DEGENERATIVE L4/L5 MOTION SEGMENTS: FINITE ELEMENT STUDY

Abstract

In this study, finite element (FE) models of an anatomical normal and a degenerated disc of L4–L5 motion segment, developed using different methodologies of volume mesh constructions, and ways of defining the spinal components’ material properties, were exercised and analyzed. The geometrics details were obtained using digitizing technique and segmentation of computed tomography (CT) scans; with material and structural properties of the spinal components defined based on the literature and greyscale values of CT images for the normal and degenerated L4–L5 motion segments, respectively. The predicted kinematic responses under five different physiological loadings in three anatomical reference planes for both models together with published data were analyzed. The predicted results correlated well within the range and in similar trends with published experimental results. The overall predicted responses showed different volume mesh constructions and the representation of spinal components’ material properties were accurate enough to predict the kinematic responses, although experimental results exhibit considerable divergence due to different experimental techniques. Both models exhibited different rotational and translation segmental stiffness in each corresponding loading configuration. The normal L4–L5 segment exhibited greatest axial torsional stiffness, and least extensional stiffness. The degenerated L4–L5 segment was least flexible (greatest stiffness) in extension and most flexible (least stiffness) in flexion. For compression, the axial stiffness of segment of normal segment was about 10% larger than that of the degenerated segment. The en-bloc efforts of all spinal components have contributed to the different nonlinear kinematic characteristics and segmental stiffness of these different L4–L5 motion segments.