Finite Element Modeling of the Functional Spinal Unit under Compression Loads

The present paper implements Finite Element Analysis (FEA) models to investigate the effects of changing nucleus pulposus status on the mechanical response of the human intervertebral disc under axial compression loads. The functional unit, which includes the upper, lower vertebrae and the intervertebral disc of the lumbar region, was considered in the modeling. The material properties of the disc were modeled as linear elastic. The variations of the nucleus pulposus were studied in such disc without a nucleus pulposus with a nucleus pulposus, and with partial removal of nucleus pulposus to determine the effects of nucleus pulposus situation on the mechanics of the disc. The findings showed that the response of the disc is susceptible to the nucleus pulposus condition. The response of the model was in line with those of the literature data. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of the European Structural Integrity Society (ESIS) ExCo