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The stabilizing system of the spine. Part I. Function, dysfunction, adaptation, and enhancement
1Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510.
Journal of Spinal Disorders
|December 1, 1992
Summary
The spinal stabilizing system has three subsystems: passive (bones, ligaments), active (muscles), and neural (nerves). Dysfunction can lead to compensation, adaptation, or injury, potentially causing low back pain.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanical Engineering
- Neuroscience
- Orthopedics
Background:
- The spinal stabilizing system is crucial for maintaining posture and preventing injury.
- Understanding its components and their interactions is key to addressing spinal dysfunction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a conceptual framework for the spinal stabilizing system.
- To delineate the roles of passive, active, and neural subsystems.
- To explore the consequences of subsystem dysfunction.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of the spinal stabilizing system.
- Identification of three core subsystems: passive, active, and neural.
- Examination of potential responses to subsystem dysfunction.
Main Results:
- The spinal stabilizing system comprises passive (vertebrae, discs, ligaments), active (muscles, tendons), and neural (nerves, CNS) subsystems.
- Dysfunction can result in immediate compensation, long-term adaptation, or injury.
- Neural control modulates muscle activity for stability, especially under increased load or complex postures.
Conclusions:
- Subsystem dysfunction can lead to normal function with adaptation or system failure, such as low back pain.
- The neural subsystem plays a critical role in dynamic spinal stability.
- This model provides a basis for understanding spinal biomechanics and pathology.