Affiliations: [a] Low Back Biomechanics and Workplace Stress Laboratory, Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA | [b] Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS, USA | Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, 71 Frankland Road, Hopkinton, MA, 01748, USA. Tel.: +1 508 497 0218; Fax: +1 508 435 0482; E-mail: Krystyna.Gielo-Perczak@libertymutual.com
Correspondence:
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Address for correspondence: Kermit G. Davis, Ph.D., Department of Environmental Health, The University of Cincinnati, 3223 Eden Avenue, 330 Kettering Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH 45267-0056, USA. Tel.: +1 513 558 2809; Fax: +1 513 558 4397; E-mail: daviskg@ucmail.uc.edu
Abstract: With the enormous burden that low back pain has on society, researchers are constantly attempting to find effective evaluation techniques that identify mechanisms of injury. One of the more widely used methods utilized to understand the physical loading on the lumbar spine is biomechanical modeling. While there are a wide variety of spine load models, they all operate under a load-tolerance premise. The current review discusses key considerations that current and future biomechanical models need to take into account such as injury site, torso posture, torso dynamics, individual differences, gender and age differences, and detailed anatomy. A detailed description of the potential injury sites and nociception reveals the importance of understanding the complexity of the spine and the necessity of looking beyond the intervertebral disc. This review provides a broad overview of current models, including a description of the prominent spine load models in the literature. Finally, future directions of spine biomechanical models are discussed, providing insight to potential new frontiers to increase our understanding of how low back injuries and pain is initiated.
