ABSTRACT
Epidemiological investigations suggest that whole body vibration (WBV) contributes significantly to injuries and functional disorders of the skeleton and joints, including the spine. Although a large number of investigations have drawn attention to the risks of WBV on the human spine, many dynamic characteristics of the spine and injury mechanisms under vibration loading are not clear. In this study, a detailed three-dimensional finite element (FE) model of the spine T12-Pelvis segment was developed for investigating its biomechanical characteristics. Validation was conducted for static and dynamic conditions, respectively. This study analyzed the frequency characteristics and modal modes of the intact and injured spine, analyzed the transient response characteristics of the intact and injured spine, and performed a material sensitivity analysis of the spine FE models. The findings of this study may be helpful for further understanding the dynamic characteristics of the human spine and its mechanism of injury under vibration loading, and provide a useful reference for WBV-related injury treatment in clinics and product development in industry.
