Bermel Emily A, Barocas Victor H, Ellingson Arin M
a Department of Biomedical Engineering , University of Minnesota , Minneapolis , MN , USA.
b Department of Rehabilitation Medicine , University of Minnesota , Minneapolis , MN , USA.
Comput Methods Biomech Biomed Engin. 2018 Oct;21(13):712-721. doi: 10.1080/10255842.2018.1514392.
Low back pain (LBP) is the most common type of pain in America, and spinal instability is a primary cause. The facet capsular ligament (FCL) encloses the articulating joints of the spine and is of particular interest due to its high innervation - as instability ensues, high stretch values likely are a cause of this pain. Therefore, this work investigated the FCL's role in providing stability to the lumbar spine. A previously validated finite element model of the L4-L5 spinal motion segment was used to simulate pure moment bending in multiple planes. FCL failure was simulated and the following outcome measures were calculated: helical axes of motion, range of motion (ROM), bending stiffness, facet joint space, and FCL stretch. ROM increased, bending stiffness decreased, and altered helical axis patterns were observed with the removal of the FCL. Additionally, a large increase in FCL stretch was measured with diminished FCL mechanical competency, providing support that the FCL plays an important role in spinal stability.
下背痛（LBP）是美国最常见的疼痛类型，而脊柱不稳定是其主要原因。小关节囊韧带（FCL）包裹着脊柱的关节，因其高度的神经支配而备受关注——随着不稳定的发生，高拉伸值可能是这种疼痛的一个原因。因此，这项研究调查了FCL在为腰椎提供稳定性方面的作用。使用一个先前经过验证的L4-L5脊柱运动节段的有限元模型来模拟多个平面上的纯弯矩弯曲。模拟了FCL失效，并计算了以下结果指标：运动螺旋轴、运动范围（ROM）、弯曲刚度、小关节间隙和FCL拉伸。去除FCL后，ROM增加，弯曲刚度降低，并观察到螺旋轴模式改变。此外，随着FCL机械能力的下降，FCL拉伸大幅增加，这支持了FCL在脊柱稳定性中起重要作用的观点。
