Three-dimensional simulation of the lumbar spine under lumbar spinal stenosis with different sizes of spinal canal

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate the effect of body weight on the lumbar spine with different spinal canal sizes when humans bend down by using the finite element method. Lumbar spinal stenosis is the narrowing of the spinal canal. This dysfunction can cause pain in patients. Three 3D computational domains are generated from CT scan images of the L3 lumbar spine. These are the normal lumbar spine, the lumbar spine with lumbar spinal stenosis, and the narrower lumbar spine with lumbar spinal stenosis. The von Mises stress and total displacement are compared for all three domains by using the mathematical model. The numerical simulation results reveal that the von Mises stress in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis is dependent on the size of the spinal canal. In addition, a lumbar spinal stenosis patient with a narrower spinal canal obtains higher von Mises stress and total displacement. Moreover, the von Mises stress in a normal lumbar spine is lower than in a lumbar spine with lumbar spinal stenosis.