title: Is the nucleus pulposus a solid or a fluid? Mechanical behaviors of the nucleus pulposus of the human intervertebral disc.
abstract: METHODS
  A new technique to measure the viscoelastic behavior of the nucleus pulposus in shear was used to assess its solid and fluid characteristics.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To review existing knowledge on mechanical behaviors of the nucleus pulposus, and to develop a new technique to study the viscoelastic behaviors of isolated nucleus pulposus samples in torsional (pure) shear under transient and dynamic conditions.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Numerous studies have investigated the swelling behavior of the nucleus and found the swelling pressure to range approximately 0.05-3 MPa, depending on loading conditions. Very few studies, however, have investigated the load-deformational behaviors of the nucleus pulposus.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirteen nondegenerate samples of nucleus pulposus were harvested from lumbar discs and tested in torsional shear under transient and dynamic test conditions. A linear viscoelastic law with variable amplitude relaxation and dynamic frequency sweep experiments. The coefficients of the viscoelastic law were determined from the stress relaxation experiments, whereas the dynamic shear modulus and phase shift angle were determined from the frequency sweep.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The nucleus exhibits significant viscoelastic effects in shear. Under transient conditions, the stress relaxed to values near zero, which is indicative of the "fluid-like" behaviors of the nucleus. Under dynamic conditions, however, the material parameters for the nucleus, magnitude of the complex modulus (7-21 kPa), and phase angle (23-31 degrees) were more characteristic of a viscoelastic solid. The authors' proposed stress-strain law exhibited excellent agreement with the viscoelastic data.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In response to shear deformations, the nucleus pulposus exhibited significant viscoelastic effects, characteristic of a fluid and a solid. Whether the nucleus pulposus behaves more as a fluid or a solid in vivo depends on the rate of loading.
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedic Research Laboratory, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Iatridis
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weidenbaum
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Setton
authors.forename: V C
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Mow
mesh_terms: D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D001825:Body Fluid Compartments / Q000502:physiology*; D004548:Elasticity; D006801:Humans; D007403:Intervertebral Disc / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008954:Models, Biological