Can the lumbar spine be crushed in heavy lifting?

Hutton, W. C.; Adams, M. A.

Affiliations

¹Polytechnic of Central London, London, England

Abstract and keywords

Cadaveric lumbar intervertebral joints were wedged to simulate forward flexion and then compressed to failure. The compressive strengths of the young male specimens tested were compared with the forces calculated to act when average young men perform maximum lifts from the flexed posture. It is concluded that the spine has a considerable margin of safety when such lifts are performed.

Keywords: lumbar spine; biomechanics; lifting forces; compressive strength

Links

DOI: 10.1097/00007632-198211000-00012

PubMed: 7167831

WoS: A1982QC76100011

History

Received: 1980-09-16

Accepted: 1981-05-26

Cited Works (7)

Year	Entry
1980	Adams MA, Stott JRR. The resistance to flexion of the lumbar intervertebral joint. Spine. May–June 1980;5(3):245-253.
1980	Adams MA, Hutton WC. The effect of posture on the role of the apophysial joints in resisting intervertebral compressive forces. J Bone Joint Surg. August 1980;62B(3):358-362.
1967	Galante JO. Tensile properties of the human lumbar annulus fibrosus. Acta Orthop Scand. 1967;(suppl 100):1-91.
1966	Nachemson A. The load on lumbar disks in different positions of the body. Clin Orthop Relat Res. March–March 1966;45:107-122.
1957	Perey O. Fracture of the vertebral end-plate in the lumbar spine: an experimental biomechanical investigation. Acta Orthop Scand. 1957;28(suppl 25):1-101.
1957	Bartelink DL. The role of abdominal pressure in relieving the pressure on the lumbar intervertebral discs. J Bone Joint Surg. November 1957;39B(4):718-725.
1961	Morris JM, Lucas DB, Bresler B. Role of the trunk in stability of the spine. J Bone Joint Surg. April 1961;43A(3):327-351.

Cited By (35)

Year	Entry
2004	Mechanical Vibration and Shock: Evaluation of Human Exposure to Whole-Body Vibration, V: Method for Evaluation of Vibration Containing Multiple Shocks. ISO Standard ISO 2631-5. [ISO Standard thesis]. Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization for Standardization; 2004.
1990	Ladin Z. Use of musculoskeletal models in the diagnosis and treatment of low back pain. In: Winters JM, Woo SL-Y, eds. Multiple Muscle Systems: Biomechanics and Movement Organization. New York, NY: Springer-Verlag; 1990:396-409.
2010	Schmitt K-U, Niederer PF, Muser MH, Walz F. Trauma Biomechanics: Accidental Injury in Traffic and Sports. 2nd ed. Deidelberg, Germany: Springer; 2010.
2005	Baudrit P, Potier P, Petit P, Trosseille X, Vallancien G. Cadaver and dummy investigation of injury risk with anti-sliding system in case of static deployment. In: Proceedings of the 19th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). June 6-9, 2005; Washington, DC.
2003	Elias PZ, Nuckley DJ, Ching RP. Effect of loading rate on compressive failure mechanics of the pediatric cervical spine. In: Proceedings of the 31st International Workshop on Human Subjects for Biomechanical Research. October 23, 2003; San Diego, CA.185-194.
2008	Belwadi A, Yang KH. Cadaveric lumbar spine responses to flexion with and without anterior shear displacement. In: Proceedings of the 2008 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 17-19, 2008; Bern, Switzerland.397-410.
2023	Iraeus J, Poojary YN, Jaber L, John J, Davidsson J. A new open-source finite element lumbar spine model, its tuning and validation, and development of a tissue-based injury risk function for compression fractures. In: Proceedings of the 2023 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Injury. September 13-15, 2023; Cambridge, United Kingdom.1048-1072.
1987	Aspden RM. Intra-abdominal pressure and its role in spinal mechanics. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon). August 1987;2(3):168-174.
1988	Brinckmann P, Biggemann M, Hilweg D. Fatigue fracture of human lumbar vertebrae. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon). 1988;3(suppl 1):S1-S23.
1989	Brinckmann P, Biggemann M, Hilweg D. Prediction of the compressive strength of human lumbar vertebrae. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon). 1989;4(suppl 2):S1-S27.
1997	Yingling VR, Callaghan JP, McGill SM. Dynamic loading affects the mechanical properties and failure site of porcine spines. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon). July 1997;12(5):301-305.
1989	Yoganandan N, Ray G, Pintar FA, Myklebust JB, Sances A Jr. Stiffness and strain energy criteria to evaluate the threshold of injury to an intervertebral joint. J Biomech. 1989;22(2):135-142.
2005	Nuckley DJ, Hertsted SM, Eck MP, Ching RP. Effect of displacement rate on the tensile mechanics of pediatric cervical functional spinal units. J Biomech. November 2005;38(11):2266-2275.
2022	Tushak SK, Donlon JP, Gepner BD, Chebbi A, Pipkorn B, Hallman JJ, Forman JL, Kerrigan JR. Failure tolerance of the human lumbar spine in dynamic combined compression and flexion loading. J Biomech. April 2022;135:111051.
1985	Adams MA, Hutton WC. The effect of posture on the lumbar spine. J Bone Joint Surg. August 1985;67B(4):625-629.
1995	Callaghan JP, McGill SM. Frozen storage increases the ultimate compressive load of porcine vertebrae. J Orthop Res. September 1995;13(5):809-812.
1999	Yingling VR, Callaghan JP, McGill SM. The porcine cervical spine as a model of the human lumbar spine an anatomical, geometric, and functional comparison. J Spinal Disord. October 1999;12(4):415-423.
1985	Adams MA, Hutton WC. Gradual disc prolapse. Spine. July 1985;10(6):524-531.
1986	McGill SM, Norman RW. Partitioning of the L4-L5 dynamic moment into disc, ligamentous, and muscular components during lifting. Spine. September 1986;11(7):666-678.
1986	Kurowski P, Kubo A. The relationship of degeneration of the intervertebral disc to mechanical loading conditions on lumbar vertebrae. Spine. 1986;11(7):726-731.
1988	Miller JAA, Schmatz C, Schultz AB. Lumbar disc degeneration: correlation with age, sex, and spine level in 600 autopsy specimens. Spine. February 1988;13(2):173-178.
1999	Patwardhan AG, Havey RM, Meade KP, Lee B, Dunlap B. A follower load increases the load-carrying capacity of the lumbar spine in compression. Spine. May 15, 1999;24(10):1003-1009.
2005	Chao P-hG. Physical Forces on Cells: Effects of Applied Osmotic Loading and Direct Current Electric Fields [PhD thesis]. Columbia University; 2005.
2017	Schmidt AL. Assessing the Injury Tolerance of the Human Spine [PhD thesis]. Duke University; 2017.
1985	Yoganandan N. Mechanical Factors and the Threshold of Trauma of the Intervertebral Joint: A Finite Element Analysis With Experimental Validation [PhD thesis]. Marquette University; December 1985.
2011	Storvik SG. Development of an Experimental Model to Quantify Lumbar Spine Kinematics During Military Seat Ejection [Master's thesis]. Marquette University; August 2011.
2011	Wagnac É. Expérimentation et modélisation détaillée de la colonne vertébrale pour étudier le rôle de facteurs anatomiques et biomécaniques sur les traumatismes rachidiens [PhD thesis]. École polytechnique de Montréal; November 2011.
1988	Kim YE. An Analytical Investigation of Ligamentous Lumbar Spine Mechanics University of Iowa; May 1988.
2002	Walker MRJ. Development of a General 6-DOF Parallel Robotic System: Load-Control Methodology for Spine Biomechanics Testing [Master's thesis]. University of Guelph; December 2002.
1990	Cholewicki J. The Contribution of the Lumbar Disc and Posterior Ligaments in Generating Trunk Extensor Moment During Extremely Heavy Lifts Using Fluoroscopy [Master's thesis]. University of Waterloo; 1990.
1997	Frazer MB. The Assessment of Spine Movement Dysfunction by a Commercial Dynamometer, EMG and an EMG Assisted Model [PhD thesis]. University of Waterloo; 1997.
1997	Yingling VR. Shear Loading of the Lumbar Spine: Modulators of Motion Segment Tolerance and the Resulting Injuries [PhD thesis]. University of Waterloo; 1997.
1999	Callaghan JP. Low-Magnitude Loading of the Spine: In Vivo and in Vitro Studies [PhD thesis]. University of Waterloo; 1999.
2008	Drake JDM. Axial Twist Loading of the Spine: Modulators of Injury Mechanisms and the Potential for Pain Generation [PhD thesis]. University of Waterloo; 2008.
2014	Gooyers CE. Exploring Interactions Between Force, Repetition and Posture on Low Back Joint Loading and Intervertebral Disc Injury [PhD thesis]. University of Waterloo; 2014.