Effect of overload on changes in mechanical and structural properties of the annulus fibrosus of the intervertebral disc

• Published in: Biomechanics and modeling in mechanobiology Vol. 20; no. 6; pp. 2259 - 2267
• Main Authors: Żak, Małgorzata, Pezowicz, Celina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-12-2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animals; Annuli; Annulus Fibrosus - anatomy & histology; Annulus Fibrosus - physiology; Biological and Medical Physics; Biomechanical Phenomena; Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering; Biophysics; Collagen; Columns (structural); Compression; Compressive Strength; Cyclic loads; Dynamic mechanical properties; Engineering; Fibrosis; Impact analysis; Intervertebral discs; Load bearing elements; Mechanical properties; Original Paper; Overloading; Segments; Spine; Stiffness coefficients; Swine; Tension tests; Theoretical and Applied Mechanics; Weight-Bearing; Mechanical properties; Annulus fibrosus; Pathological model; Three-joint complex loading; Intervertebral disc
• ISSN: 1617-7959; 1617-7940
• DOI: 10.1007/s10237-021-01505-w

The research focussed on analysing structural and mechanical properties in the intervertebral disc (IVD), caused by long-term cyclic loading. Spinal motion segments were divided into two groups: the control (C), and the group in which it was analysed the impact of posterior column in the load-bearing system of the spine—specimens with intact posterior column (IPC) and without posterior column (WPC). To evaluate the structural and mechanical changes, the specimens were tested with simulation of 100,000 compression-flexion load cycles after which it was performed macroscopic analysis. Mechanical properties of the annulus fibrosis (AF) from the anterior and posterior regions of the IVD were tested at the uniaxial tension test. The stiffness coefficient values were statistically 32% higher in the WPC group (110 N/mm) than in the IPC (79 N/mm). The dynamics of increase in this parameter does not correspond with the course of decrease in height loss. WPC segments revealed clear structural changes that mainly involve the posterior regions of the IVD (bulging and delamination with the effect of separation of collagen fibre bundles). Pathological changes also caused decreases in the value of stress in the AF. The greatest changes in the stress value about group C (7.43 ± 4.49 MPa) were observed in the front part of the fibrous ring, where this value was for IPC 4.49 ± 4.78 MPa and WPC 2.56 ± 1.01 MPa. The research indicates that the applied load model allows simulating damage that occurs in pathological IVD. And the posterior column’s presence affects this change’s dynamics, structural and mechanical properties of AF.