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OpenSim offers a valuable approach to investigating otherwise difficult to assess yet important biomechanical parameters such as joint reaction forces. Although the range of available models in the public repository is continually increasing, there currently exists no OpenSim model for the computation of intervertebral joint reactions during flexion and lifting tasks. The current work combines and improves elements of existing models to develop an enhanced model of the upper body and lumbar spine. Models of the upper body with extremities, neck and head were combined with an improved version of a lumbar spine from the model repository. Translational motion was enabled for each lumbar vertebrae with six controllable degrees of freedom. Motion segment stiffness was implemented at lumbar levels and mass properties were assigned throughout the model. Moreover, body coordinate frames of the spine were modified to allow straightforward variation of sagittal alignment and to simplify interpretation of results. Evaluation of model predictions for level L1-L2, L3-L4 and L4-L5 in various postures of forward flexion and moderate lifting (8 kg) revealed an agreement within 10% to experimental studies and model-based computational analyses. However, in an extended posture or during lifting of heavier loads (20 kg), computed joint reactions differed substantially from reported in vivo measures using instrumented implants. We conclude that agreement between the model and available experimental data was good in view of limitations of both the model and the validation datasets. The presented model is useful in that it permits computation of realistic lumbar spine joint reaction forces during flexion and moderate lifting tasks. The model and corresponding documentation are now available in the online OpenSim repository.

Higher adjacent segment shear forces in alignments at risk for ASD already prior to fusion provide a mechanistic explanation for the clinically observed correlation between PILL mismatch and rate of adjacent segment degeneration.

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Pain-related fear is associated with less lumbar flexion during lifting in pain-free adults, indicating a protective movement strategy in the absence of low back pain.

Translational vertebral motion during functional tasks manifests itself in dynamic loci for center of rotation (COR). A shift of COR affects moment arms of muscles and ligaments; consequently, muscle and joint forces are altered. Based on posture- and level-specific trends of COR migration revealed by in vivo dynamic radiography during functional activities, it was postulated that the instantaneous COR location for a particular joint is optimized in order to minimize the joint reaction forces. A musculoskeletal multi-body model was employed to investigate the hypotheses that (1) a posterior COR in upright standing and (2) an anterior COR in forward flexed posture leads to optimized lumbar joint loads. Moreover, it was hypothesized that (3) lower lumbar levels benefit from a more superiorly located COR. The COR in the model was varied from its initial position in posterior-anterior and inferior-superior direction up to ±6 mm in steps of 2 mm. Movement from upright standing to 45° forward bending and backwards was simulated for all configurations. Joint reaction forces were computed at levels L2L3 to L5S1. Results clearly confirmed hypotheses (1) and (2) and provided evidence for the validity of hypothesis (3), hence offering a biomechanical rationale behind the migration paths of CORs observed during functional flexion/extension movement. Average sensitivity of joint force magnitudes to an anterior shift of COR was +6 N/mm in upright and -21 N/mm in 30° forward flexed posture, while sensitivity to a superior shift in upright standing was +7 N/mm and -8N/mm in 30° flexion. The relation between COR loci and joint loading in upright and flexed postures could be mainly attributed to altered muscle moment arms and consequences on muscle exertion. These findings are considered relevant for the interpretation of COR migration data, the development of numerical models, and could have an implication on clinical diagnosis and treatment or the development of spinal implants.

This study addresses the hypothesis that adjacent segment intervertebral joint loads are sensitive to the degree of lordosis that is surgically imposed during vertebral fusion. Adjacent segment degeneration is often observed after lumbar fusion, but a causative mechanism is not yet clearly evident. Altered kinematics of the adjacent segments and potentially nonphysiological mechanical joint loads have been implicated in this process. However, little is known of how altered alignment and kinematics influence loading of the adjacent intervertebral joints under consideration of active muscle forces. This study investigated these effects by simulating L4/5 fusions using kinematics-driven musculoskeletal models of one generic and eight sagittal alignment-specific models. Models featured different spinopelvic configurations but were normalized by body height, masses, and muscle properties. Fusion of the L4/5 segment was implemented in an in situ (22˚), hyperlordotic (32˚), and hypolordotic (8˚) fashion and kinematic input parameters were changed accordingly based on findings of an in vitro investigation. Bending motion from upright standing to 45˚forward flexion and back was simulated for all models in intact and fused conditions. Joint loads at adjacent levels and moment arms of spinal muscles experienced changes after all types of fusion. Hypolordotic configuration led to an increase of adjacent segment (L3/4) shear forces of 29% on average, whereas hyperlordotic fusion reduced shear by 39%. Overall, L4/5 in situ fusion resulted in intervertebral joint forces closest to intact loading conditions. An artificial decrease in lumbar lordosis (minus 14˚on average) caused by an L4/5 fusion lead to adverse loading conditions, particularly at the cranial adjacent levels, and altered muscle moment arms, in particular for muscles in the vicinity of the fusion. ß

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