Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Subject-specific Musculoskeletal Model for Studying Bone Strain During Dynamic Motion
Published on: April 11, 2018
Parametric and subject-specific finite element modelling of the lower cervical spine. Influence of geometrical
A Laville1, S Laporte2, W Skalli2
1Arts et Metiers ParisTech, CNRS, LBM, 151 bd de l'Hopital, 75013 Paris, France; Institut de Médecine Aérospatiale du Service de Santé des Armées, Bretigny Sur Orge, France.
Abstract:
Morphometrical and postural features of the cervical spine are supposed to significantly influence its biomechanical behaviour. However, the effects of these geometrical parameters are quite difficult to evaluate. An original numerical method is proposed in order to automatically generate parametric and subject-specific meshes of the lower cervical spine. Sixteen finite element models have been built from cadaver specimens using low dose biplanar X-rays. All the generated meshes fulfilled the quality criteria. A preliminary evaluation was performed on the C5-C6 functional units using a database of previous experimental tests. The principal and coupled motions were simulated. The responses of the numerical models were within the experimental standard deviation corridors in most cases. Rotation-moment relationships were then compared to assess the influence of geometry on the mechanical response. Geometry was found to play a significant role in the motion patterns.
Related Concept Videos
Plastic Deformations of Members with a Single Plane of Symmetry
Bending of Members Made of Several Materials
Hooke's Law determines stress in each material, stating that stress is proportional to strain but varies due to each material's...
Vertebral Column: Regions and Curvature
Regions of the Vertebral Column
In an adult, the spine is subdivided into five regions: the cervical, the thoracic, the lumbar, the sacral, and the coccygeal region. The spine initially develops as a series of 33 vertebrae; after 20 years of age, the nine bones in the sacral region, five sacral, and four coccygeal bones fuse to form the...
Parametric Surfaces
