Biomechanical modeling for understanding of low back injuries: A systematic review

Abstract

With the enormous burden that low back pain has on society, researchers are constantly attempting to find effective evaluation techniques that identify mechanisms of injury. One of the more widely used methods utilized to understand the physical loading on the lumbar spine is biomechanical modeling. While there are a wide variety of spine load models, they all operate under a load-tolerance premise. The current review discusses key considerations that current and future biomechanical models need to take into account such as injury site, torso posture, torso dynamics, individual differences, gender and age differences, and detailed anatomy. A detailed description of the potential injury sites and nociception reveals the importance of understanding the complexity of the spine and the necessity of looking beyond the intervertebral disc. This review provides a broad overview of current models, including a description of the prominent spine load models in the literature. Finally, future directions of spine biomechanical models are discussed, providing insight to potential new frontiers to increase our understanding of how low back injuries and pain is initiated.