Project Details
Projekt
Influence of local tissue injuries, repair and degeneration on spinal Morphology, Mechanics and Motion in a large animal model
Subject Area
Orthopaedics, Traumatology, Reconstructive Surgery
Term
since 2021
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 439742772
Spinal surgery is often performed to treat patients suffering from low back pain. However, results are variable and not always satisfactory. Surgical approaches induce a change in the kinematic of the spine and the load distribution within the different spinal structures, which have been shown to lead to degenerative processes in adjacent structures. How changes in habitual loading drive those degenerative changes remain unknown. In this project, we aim to characterize dynamical (Motion) and morphological changes (Morphology) of the lumbar spine after surgical intervention and to investigate how mechanical loading (Mechanics) regulate those alterations. To achieve this, we will employ a combined in vivo/in silico approach that will allow us to relate tissue level responses after surgical intervention with their local mechanical environment. A large animal model will be used to monitor changes in spinal curvature after surgical intervention. Detailed histological analyses will provide information on local changes at the tissue level. Computer models based on finite element techniques coupled with bone regeneration models will then be used to link mechanical signals to changes in tissue properties. This knowledge will help us in the future to develop better treatment strategies that potentially reduce or even avoid non-desired degenerative responses.
DFG Programme
Research Units
Subproject of
FOR 5177:
The Dynamics of the Spine: Mechanics, Morphology and Motion towards a comprehensive Diagnosis of Low Back Pain
Co-Investigators
Professor Dr.-Ing. Georg Duda; Professor Dr. Christoph Stein
