The effect of fluid loss on the viscoelastic behavior of the lumbar intervertebral disc in compression.
A viscoelastic finite element model of a L2-L3 motion segment was constructed and used to study: (1) the behavior of the intervertebral disc with different amounts of nucleus fluid loss; and (2) the effect of different rates of fluid loss on the viscoelastic behavior of the disc. The results indicate that: (1) The viscoelastic behavior of the intervertebral disc depends to a large extent on the rate of fluid loss from the disc; the intrinsic properties of disc tissue play a role only at the early stage of compressive loading; (2) the axial strain increases, whereas the intradiscal pressure and the posterior radial disc bulge decrease with increasing fluid loss; (3) a decreasing fluid loss rate with a total fluid loss of 10 to 20 percent (from the nucleus) during the first hour of compressive loading best predicts the overall viscoelastic behavior of a disc.
Department of Bioengineering, Clemson University, SC 29634, USA.
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Lu
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Hutton
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Gharpuray
D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D003196:Computer Graphics; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004548:Elasticity; D005110:Extracellular Space / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007403:Intervertebral Disc / Q000502:physiology*; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D013718:Tensile Strength; D016474:Weight-Bearing / Q000502:physiology*