Fatigue fracture of human lumbar vertebrae

Brinckmann, P.; Biggemann, M.; Hilweg, D.

Abstract

Fatigue fracture of human lumbar vertebrae under cyclic axial compressive load has been investigated in vitro for load magnitudes between 20% and 70% of the ultimate compressive strength and cycle numbers between 1 and 5000. In addition, the dependence of the ultimate compressive strength of lumbar vertebrae on trabecular bone density and geometric dimensions was investigated. Seventy specimens of human lumbar motion segments were subjected to a fatigue test; 35 specimens were subjected to an ultimate strength test. The results state the probability of a lumbar vertebra encountering a fatigue fracture in relation to the magnitude of the cyclic load and the number of load cycles. In addition, it is shown that the ultimate compressive strength of a vertebra can be predicted with an error of less than 1 kN on the basis of bone density and endplate area.

Links

DOI: 10.1016/S0268-0033(88)80001-9

PubMed: 23905925

WoS: A1988Q366400001

History

Revised: 1988-01-1

Online: 2013-05-6

Cited Works (19)

Year	Entry
1978	White AA III, Panjabi MM. Clinical Biomechanics of the Spine. Philadelphia, PA: J.B. Lippincott Company; 1978.
1987	Hansson TH, Keller TS, Spengler DM. Mechanical behavior of the human lumbar spine, II: fatigue strength during dynamic compressive loading. J Orthop Res. 1987;5(4):479-487.
1984	Currey JD. Mechanical Adaptations of Bone. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press; 1984.
1973	Vernon-Roberts B, Pirie CJ. Healing trabecular microfractures in the bodies of lumbar vertebrae. Ann Rheum Dis. September 1973;32(5):406-412.
1976	Carter DR, Hayes WC. Fatigue life of compact bone, I: effects of stress amplitude, temperature and density. J Biomech. 1976;9(1):27-34.
1981	Horst M, Brinckmann P. Measurement of the distribution of axial stress on the end-plate of the vertebral body. Spine. May–June 1981;6(3):217-232.
1980	Hansson T, Roos B, Nachemson A. The bone mineral content and ultimate compressive strength of lumbar vertebrae. Spine. January–February 1980;5(1):46-55.
1987	Bentzen SM, Hvid I, Jorgensen J. Mechanical strength of tibial trabecular bone evaluated by X-ray computed tomography. J Biomech. 1987;20(8):743-752.
1969	Rockoff SD, Sweet E, Bleustein J. The relative contribution of trabecular and cortical bone to the strength of human lumbar vertebrae. Calcif Tiss Res. December 1969;3(1):163-175.
1977	Kazarian L, Graves GA Jr. Compressive strength characteristics of the human vertebral centrum. Spine. March 1977;2(1):1-14.
1982	Hutton WC, Adams MA. Can the lumbar spine be crushed in heavy lifting? Spine. November 1982;7(6):586-590.
1967	Galante JO. Tensile properties of the human lumbar annulus fibrosus. Acta Orthop Scand. 1967;(suppl 100):1-91.
1982	Schultz A, Andersson G, Örtengren R, Haderspeck K, Nachemson A. Loads on the lumbar spine: validation of a biomechanical analysis by measurements of intradiscal pressures and myoelectric signals. J Bone Joint Surg. June 1982;64A(5):713-720.
1983	Brinckmann P, Frobin W, Hierholzer E, Horst M. Deformation of the vertebral end-plate under axial loading of the spine. Spine. November–December 1983;8(8):851-856.
1983	Carter DR, Caler WE. Cycle-dependent and time-dependent bone fracture with repeated loading. J Biomech Eng. May 1983;105(2):166-170.
1981	Carter DR, Caler WE, Spengler DM, Frankel VH. Uniaxial fatigue of human cortical bone: the influence of tissue physical characteristics. J Biomech. 1981;14(7):461-470.
1981	Carter DR, Caler WE, Spengler DM, Frankel VH. Fatigue behavior of adult cortical bone: the influence of mean strain and strain range. Acta Orthop Scand. 1981;52(5):481-490.
1983	Sandover J. Dynamic loading as a possible source of low-back disorders. Spine. September 1983;8(6):652-658.
1985	McBroom RJ, Hayes WC, Edwards WT, Goldberg RP, White AA III. Prediction of vertebral body compressive fracture using quantitative computed tomography. J Bone Joint Surg. 1985;67A(8):1206-1214.

Cited By (37)

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.
2016	Shridharani JK, Bigler BR, Cox CA, Ortiz‐Paparoni MA, Bass CRD. Sensitive injury detection in the cervical spine using acoustic emission and continuous wavelet transform. In: Proceedings of the 2016 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Injury. September 14-16, 2016; Malaga, Spain.131-142.
2023	Morino CF, Schmidt AL, Dimbath E, Middleton ST, Kait JR, Shridharani J, Ortiz-Paparoni MA, Klinger J, Op ‘t Eynde J, Bass CR‘. Human and porcine lumbar endplate injury risk in repeated flexion-compression. In: Proceedings of the 2023 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Injury. September 13-165, 2023; Cambridge, United Kingdom.1013-1024.
1993	Seidel H. Selected health risks caused by long-term, whole-body vibration. Am J Ind Med. April 1993;23(4):589-604.
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.
2001	Callaghan JP, McGill SM. Intervertebral disc herniation: studies on a porcine model exposed to highly repetitive flexion/extension motion with compressive force. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon). January 2001;16(1):28-37.
1993	Waters TR, Putz-Anderson V, Garg A, Fine LJ. Revised NIOSH equation for the design and evaluation of manual lifting tasks. Ergonomics. July 1993;36(7):749-776.
2020	Mirzaali MJ, Libonati F, Böhm C, Rinaudo L, Cesana BM, Ulivieri FM, Vergani L. Fatigue-caused damage in trabecular bone from clinical, morphological and mechanical perspectives. Int J Fatigue. April 2020;133:105451.
2008	Eger T, Stevenson J, Boileau P-É, Salmoni A; VibRG. Predictions of health risks associated with the operation of load-haul-dump mining vehicles, I: analysis of whole-body vibration exposure using ISO 2631-1 and ISO-2631-5 standards. Int J Ind Ergon. 2008;38(9-10):726-738.
2011	Forde KA, Albert WJ, Harrison MF, Neary JP, Croll J, Callaghan JP. Neck loads and posture exposure of helicopter pilots during simulated day and night flights. Int J Ind Ergon. March 2011;41(2):128-135.
1996	Ishihara H, McNally DS, Urban JP, Hall AC. Effects of hydrostatic pressure on matrix synthesis in different regions of the intervertebral disk. J Appl Physiol. March 1996;80(3):839-846.
1991	Janevic J, Ashton-Miller JA, Schultz AB. Large compressive preloads decrease lumbar motion segment flexibility. J Orthop Res. March 1991;9(2):228-236.
1989	Brinckmann P, Biggemann M, Hilweg D. Prediction of the compressive strength of human lumbar vertebrae. Spine. June 1989;14(6):606-610.
1992	Bovenzi M, Zadini A. Self-reported low back symptoms in urban bus drivers exposed to whole-body vibration. Spine. September 1992;17(9):1048-1059.
1996	Magnusson ML, Pope MH, Wilder DG, Areskoug B. Are occupational drivers at an increased risk for developing musculoskeletal disorders? Spine. March 15, 1996;21(6):710-717.
2000	Adams MA, Freeman BJC, Morrison HP, Nelson IW, Dolan P. Mechanical initiation of intervertebral disc degeneration. Spine. July 1, 2000;25(13):1625-1636.
2019	Beaucage-Gauvreau E. Brace for it: Assessing Lumbar Spinal Loads for a Braced Arm-to-Thigh Lifting and Bending Technique Using a Musculoskeletal Modelling Approach [PhD thesis]. University of Adelaide; June 2019.
1996	Hillam RA. Response of Bone to Mechanical Load and Alterations in Circulating Hormones [PhD thesis]. Bristol, UK: University of Bristol; October 1996.
2013	Paietta RC. Microscale Material Properties of Bone and the Mineralized Tissues of the Intervertebral Disc-Vertebral Body Interface [PhD thesis]. Boulder, CO: University of Colorado; 2013.
2016	Shridharani JK. Injury Detection and Localization in the Spine Using Acoustic Emission [PhD thesis]. Duke University; 2016.
2017	Schmidt AL. Assessing the Injury Tolerance of the Human Spine [PhD thesis]. Duke University; 2017.
2020	Cox CA. Computational Modeling of the Lumbar Spine: Active Musculature and Intra‐abdominal Pressure in Compressive Loading [PhD thesis]. Duke University; 2020.
2019	Ghezelbash F. Subject-Specific Computational Musculoskeletal Modeling of Human Trunk in Lifting: Role of Age, Sex, Body Weight and Body Height [PhD thesis]. École polytechnique de Montréal; December 2019.
1998	Eger TR. Load Transfer Hand Forces During a Two-Dimensional Sagittal Plane Box Lift [Master's thesis]. Queen's University; September 1998.
2008	Graham RB. Effectiveness of an on-Body Lifting Aid At Reducing Low-Back Physical Demands During an Automotive Assembly Task: Assessment of EMG Response and User Acceptability [Master's thesis]. Queen's University; July 2008.
2009	Godwin AA. Investigating the Feasibility of New Methods for Analysis and Collection of Human Motion in Field Applications [PhD thesis]. Queen's University; April 2009.
1999	Callaghan JP. Low-Magnitude Loading of the Spine: In Vivo and in Vitro Studies [PhD thesis]. University of Waterloo; 1999.
2007	Scannell JP. In Vitro and in Vivo Biomechanical Investigation of the Clinical Practice of Disc Prolapse Prevention and Rehabilitation [PhD thesis]. University of Waterloo; 2007.
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.
2008	Parkinson RJ. Refining the Relationship Between the Mechanical Demands on the Spine and Injury Mechanisms Through Improved Estimates of Load Exposure and Tissue Tolerance [PhD thesis]. University of Waterloo; 2008.
2011	Howarth SJ. Mechanical Response of the Porcine Cervical Spine to Acute and Repetitive Anterior-Posterior Shear [PhD thesis]. University of Waterloo; 2011.
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.
2017	McKinnon CD. Axial Twist of the Lumbar Spine: Mechanical Responses to Twisted Postures and Potential Factors for Workplace Injury [PhD thesis]. University of Waterloo; 2017.
2020	Fewster KM. Exploring Low to Moderate Velocity Motor Vehicle Rear Impacts as a Viable Injury Mechanism in the Lumbar Spine [PhD thesis]. University of Waterloo; 2020.
2004	Azar NR. The Relationship Between Cumulative Low Back Loads and Heart Rate Determined Physical Activity Level During Non-Occupational Tasks [Master's thesis]. University of Windsor; 2004.
2014	Christian M. Biomarkers of Physiological Damage and Their Potential for Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorder Risk Assessment [PhD thesis]. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; March 6, 2014.