Deduction of Spinal Loading from Vertebral Body Surface Strain Measurements

The lumbar intervertebral disc, the apparent nexus of low back pain, undergoes biomechanical changes during its degeneration which are as yet poorly understood. In an effort to ultimately examine in vivo daily activity loads across intervertebral discs, we engaged in the following methodological study. The aim of this research was to correlate vertebral body surface strains with the loads across a lumbar spine segment. Rosette strain gages were affixed anterolaterally on L4 and L5 in a macaque monkey model. These tissues were loaded axially and with sagittal plane moments and the principal strains were compared with the applied loads. Predictable axial and sagittal plane loading profiles were found for similar strain measurements and the system was found to be robust through freezing and thawing. These results support future research aimed at quantifying the in vivo disc mechanics of healthy and degenerate tissues in an attempt to develop prevention or intervention strategies to ease those afflicted with low back pain.