Comparison of Kinematics Between Thoracolumbar T11-T12 and T12-L1 Functional Spinal Units

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare the kinematics in terms of the locations and loci of instantaneous axes of rotation (IARs) at levels T11-T12 and T12-L1 of thoracolumbar junction (TLJ). The IAR is one of the kinematics characteristics of a functional spinal unit (FSU) in a plane under load. There is little information about loci of IARs in the TLJ. Validated finite element (FE) models of T11-T12 and T12-L1 FSUs were used to determine the locations and loci of IARs in three anatomical planes. In the sagittal plane, the locations and loci of the IARs were located below the intervertebral disc for T11-T12, and situated in the intervertebral disc for T12-L1. In the frontal plane, they were all located around the mid-sagittal plane for T11-T12 and T12-L1. In the transverse plane, they fell in the medio-anterior region of the movable vertebra T11 for T11-T12, and located near the cortical shell of the upper vertebra T12 for T12-L1. These findings may offer an insight to better understanding the kinematics of the human thoracolumbar spine and provide clinically relevant information for the evaluation of spinal stability and functionality of implant devices.

Keywords

kinematics thoracolumbar instantaneous axis of rotation finite element analysis

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Davis

P. R.

The thoraco-lumbar mortice joint

J. Anat., 1955, 89, 370–377.

Davis

The thoraco-lumbar mortice joint in West Africans

J. Anat., 1961, 95, 589–593.

Giles

L. G.F.

Singer

K. P.

The Clinical Anatomy and Management of Thoracic Spine Pain, 2000 (Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford).

Panjabi

M. M.

Oxland

Takata

Goel

Duranceau

Krag

Articular facets of the human spine. Quantitative three-dimensional anatomy

Spine, 1993, 18, 1298–1310.

Singer

K. P.

Willen

Breidahl

P. D.

Day

R. E.

Radiologic study of the influence of zygapo-physeal joint orientation on spinal injuries at the thoracolumbar junction

Surg. Radiol. Anat., 1989, 11, 233–239.

Panjabi

M. M.

Brand

R. A.

Jr White

A. A.

III

Three-dimensional flexibility and stiffness properties of the human thoracic spine

J. Biomechanics, 1976, 9, 185–192.

Willems

J. M.

Jull

G. A.

J. K.-F

An in vivo study of the primary and coupled rotations of the thoracic spine

Clin. Biomechanics, 1996, 11, 311–316.

Ahmed

A. M.

Duncan

N. A.

Burke

D. L.

The effect of facet geometry on the axial torque-rotation response of lumbar motion segments

Spine, 1990, 15, 391–401.

Lavaste

Skalli

Robin

Roy-Camille

Mazel

Three-dimensional geometrical and mechanical modelling of the lumbar spine

J. Biomechanics, 1992, 25, 1153–1164.

10.

Panjabi

M. M.

Oxland

T. R.

Yamamoto

Crisco

J. J.

Mechanical behavior of the human lumbar and lumbosacral spine as shown by three-dimensional load-displacement curves

J. Bone Jt Surg., 1994, 76A, 413–424.

11.

Ogston

N. G.

King

G. J.

Gertzbein

S. D.

Tile

Kapasouri

Rubenstein

J. D.

Centrode patterns in the lumbar spine. Baseline studies in normal subjects

Spine, 1986, 11, 591–595.

12.

Gertzbein

S. D.

Holtby

Tile

Kapasouri

Chan

K. W.

Cruickshank

Determination of a locus of instantaneous centers of rotation of the lumbar disc by Moiré fringes. A new technique

Spine, 1984, 9, 409–413.

13.

Gertzbein

S. D.

Seligman

Holtby

Chan

K. H.

Kapasouri

Tile

Cruickshank

Centrode patterns and segmental instability in degenerative disc disease

Spine, 1985, 10, 257–261.

14.

Gertzbein

S. D.

Seligman

Holtby

Chan

K. W.

Ogston

Kapasouri

Tile

Centrode characteristics of the lumbar spine as a function of segmental instability

Clin. Orthop., 1986, 208, 48–051.

15.

Panjabi

M. M.

Krag

M. H.

Dimnet

J. C

Walter

S. D.

Brand

R. A.

Thoracic spine centers of rotation in the sagittal plane

J. Orthop. Res., 1984, 1, 387–394.

16.

Qiu

T. X.

Teo

E. C.

Lee

K. K.

H. W.

Yang

Validation of T10-T11 finite element model and determination of instantaneous axes of rotations in three anatomical planes

Spine, 2003, 28, 2694–2699.

17.

Qiu

T. X.

Finite element analyses of thoracolumbar junction - investigations of instantaneous axes of rotation (IARs) and burst fracture mechanism. Doctoral dissertation, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 2005.

18.

Brinckmann

Grootenboer

Change of disc height, radial disc bulge, and intradiscal pressure from discectomy. An in vitro investigation on human lumbar discs

Spine, 1991, 16, 641–646.

19.

Edwards

W. T.

Zheng

Ferrara

L. A.

Yuan

H. A.

Structural features and thickness of the vertebral cortex in the thoracolumbar spine

Spine, 2001, 26, 218–225.

20.

Giles

L. G.F.

Singer

K. P.

The Clinical Anatomy and Management of Thoracic Spine Pain, 2000 (Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford).

21.

Kiefer

Shirazi-Adl

Parnianpour

Stability of the human spine in neutral postures

Eun Spine J., 1997, 6, 45–53.

22.

Malmivaara

Videman

Kuosma

Troup

J. D.

Facet joint orientation, facet and costo-vertebral joint osteoarthrosis, disc degeneration, vertebral body osteophytosis, and Schmorl's nodes in the thoracolumbar junctional region of cadaveric spines

Spine, 1987, 12, 458–463.

23.

Chazal

Tanguy

Bourgers

Gaurel

Escande

Guillot

Vanneuville

Biomechanical properties of spinal ligaments and a histological study of the supraspinal ligament in traction

J. Biomechanics, 1985, 18, 167–176.

24.

Chazal

Tanguy

Bourges

Gaurel

Escande

Guillot

Vanneuville

Biomechanical properties of spinal ligaments and a histological study of the supraspinal ligament in traction

J. Biomechanics, 1985, 18, 167–176.

25.

Goel

V. K.

Weinstein

J. N.

Biomechanics of the Spine: Clinical and Surgical Perspective, 1990 (CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida).

26.

Sharma

Langrana

N. A.

Rodriguez

Role of ligaments and facets in lumbar spinal stability

Spine, 1995, 20, 887–900.

27.

Brown

Saputa

Black

Young's modulus of living human bone

Transactions of the Orthopaedic Research Society, 27th Annual Meeting, 1981, Vol. 6, p. 41.

28.

Keaveny

T. M.

Morgan

E. F.

Niebur

G. L.

Yeh

O. C.

Biomechanics of trabecular bone

Ann. Rev. Biomed. Engng., 2001, 3, 307–333.

29.

Kumaresan

Yoganandan

Pintar

F. A.

Finite element analysis of the cervical spine: A material property sensitivity study

Clin Biomechanics, 1999, 14, 41–53.

30.

Yamada

Strength of Biological Materials (Ed. Evans

F. G.

), 1970, pp. 19–105 (Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore).

31.

Lavaste

Skalli

Robin

Roy-Camille

Mazel

Three-dimensional geometrical and mechanical modelling of the lumbar spine

J. Biomechanics, 1992, 25, 1153–1164.

32.

Race

Broom

N. D.

Robertson

Effect of loading rate and hydration on the mechanical properties of the disc

Spine, 2000, 25, 662–669.

33.

H. C.

Yao

R. F.

Mechanical behavior of the human annulus fibrosus

J. Biomechanics 1976, 9, 1–7.

34.

Haut

R. C.

Little

R. W.

A constitutive equation for collagen fibers

J. Biomechanics, 1972, 5, 423–430.

35.

White

A. A.

III Panjabi

M. M.

Clinical Biomechanics of the Spine (2nd edition), 1990 (Lippincott-Raven, Philadelphia).

36.

Oxland

T. R.

Lin

R. M.

Panjabi

M. M.

Three-dimensional mechanical properties of the thoraco-lumbar junction

J. Orthop. Res., 1992, 10, 573–580.

37.

Diangelo

D. J.

Vossel

K. A.

Foley

K. T.

Kinematics of the cervical spine: Path of the instant axes of rotation in flexion and extension. In

Proceedings of the 4th World Congress on Biomechanics, Calgary, Canada, 2002.

38.

Farrokhi

Kulig.

Burnfield

Powers

In vivo assessment of the instantaneous axes of rotation of the lumbar spine in symptomatic and asymptomatic subjects. In Proceedings of the 4th World Congress on Biomechanics, Calgary, Canada, 2002.