Experimental measurement of ligament force, facet force, and segment motion in the human lumbar spine

Facet forces, longitudinal ligament loads, and vertebral body motion were experimentally measured in five fresh human lumbar spine segments, L1-L2. Strain gages on the bone surface were used to quantify facet loads. Buckle transducers were used to measure anterior and posterior longitudinal ligament loads. The three-dimensional motion of the motion segment was measured with an instrumented spatial linkage. The facets were found to carry no load in flexion, large loads during extension (205 N at a 10 Nm moment and a 190 N axial load), torsion (65 N at a 10 Nm moment and a 150 N axial load), and lateral bending (78 N at a 3 Nm moment and a 160 N axial load). The facet contact site on the inferior articular process of L1 was found to move inferiorly to a position of tip impingement near the lamina as extension moments increased. Impingement occurred in the range of 4-6 Nm extension. The posterior and anterior longitudinal ligaments were predominantly loaded in flexion and extension, respectively. No ligament loads occurred in lateral bending and torsion. A 1 cm strip of the anterior longitudinal ligament carried loads up to 130 N at the largest extension moment of 11.4 Nm. The posterior longitudinal ligament had a 60 N load at the largest flexion moment of 7.1 Nm. There was no pre-load in the ligament detectable with the buckle transducers (> 4 N). The facets and ligaments began carrying load immediately with applied load, without a lax region. The experimental technique developed and used provides a good tool for obtaining simultaneous facet joint loads, ligament loads, and vertebral body motion without altering the motion segment.