Journal of Northeastern University ›› 2013, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (4): 573-577.DOI: -

• Mechanical Engineering • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Poroelastic Characteristics of Intervertebral Disc Under Intermittent Load

LI Rui, GUO Lixin   

  1. School of Mechanical Engineering & Automation, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China.
  • Received:2012-11-27 Revised:2012-11-27 Online:2013-04-15 Published:2013-06-19
  • Contact: GUO Lixin
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Abstract: A poroelastic finite element model was developed to analyze the biomechanical characteristics of the human spine L4/L5 segment under continuous/intermittent loads, and the results were compared with those of a degenerated model under the same working conditions. The results showed that with the existence of the resting time, the deformation and the effective stress of the intervertebral disc decreased, while the pore pressure increased. Moreover, due to the increased stiffness and the decreased height and initial pore ratio of the degenerated disc, the changing rate of the pore pressure and the effective stress are faster than those of the healthy disc.

Key words: intervertebral disc, poroelastic finite element model, intermittent load, L4/L5 lumbar segment, degenerated disc

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