A history of spine biomechanics. Focus on 20th century progress
T R Oxland1,2
1Departments of Orthopaedics and Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. toxland@icord.org.
Abstract:
The application of mechanical principles to problems of the spine dates to antiquity. Significant developments related to spinal anatomy and biomechanical behaviour made by Renaissance and post-Renaissance scholars through the end of the 19th century laid a strong foundation for the developments since that time. The objective of this article is to provide a historical overview of spine biomechanics with a focus on the developments in the 20th century. The topics of spine loading, spinal posture and stability, spinal kinematics, spinal injury, and surgical strategies were reviewed.
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