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Updated: Mar 23, 2026

A Mouse Model of Lumbar Spine Instability
Published on: April 23, 2021
Quantitative comparison of ligament formulation and pre-strain in finite element analysis of the human lumbar spine
Mitchell S Hortin1, Anton E Bowden1
1a Department of Mechanical Engineering , Brigham Young University , Provo , UT , USA.
Abstract:
Data has been published that quantifies the nonlinear, anisotropic material behaviour and pre-strain behaviour of the anterior longitudinal, supraspinous (SSL), and interspinous ligaments of the human lumbar spine. Additionally, data has been published on localized material properties of the SSL. These results have been incrementally incorporated into a previously validated finite element model of the human lumbar spine. Results suggest that the effects of increased ligament model fidelity on bone strain energy were moderate and the effects on disc pressure were slight, and do not justify a change in modelling strategy for most clinical applications. There were significant effects on the ligament stresses of the ligaments that were directly modified, suggesting that these phenomena should be included in FE models where ligament stresses are the desired metric.
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