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Numerical study on biomechanical analysis of human lumbar spine in daily activities

computational-biology
orthopedics
biomechanics

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the biomechanics of the human lumbar spinal musculoskeletal system in daily activities. We quantitatively analyzed the compressive and shear forces on the lumbar intervertebral disc (IVD), the total muscle force, muscle activation, and ligament forces during six common daily activities (slow walking, walking, fast walking, sweeping the floor, washing windows, and standing on one foot) using motion capture and musculoskeletal modeling approach. Our results showed that the mechanical loading on the lumbar IVD, muscles and ligaments increased with the increase of walking speed, and the mechanical loading on most lumbar tissues during sweeping the floor and washing windows was greater than that during walking. The mechanical loading within each tissue (including the lumbar IVD, muscles and ligaments) showed consistent distribution characteristics across different activities. Our study showed that sweeping the floor, washing windows, and increased walking speed resulted in higher mechanical loading on the lumbar IVDs, muscles, and ligaments, but did not affect the relative distribution of the mechanical loading among these tissues. Our findings are important for understanding the biomechanics of the lumbar spine during daily activities.
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