Comparative evaluation of different spinal stability metrics

Auteurs

Amir Hossein Eskandari, Institut de recherche Robert Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail, Montréal, Canada, Division of Applied Mechanics, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Canada
Farshid Ghezelbash, Division of Applied Mechanics, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Canada
Aboulfazl Shirazi-Adl, Division of Applied Mechanics, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Canada
Christian Larivière, Institut de recherche Robert Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail, Montréal, Canada, Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal (CRIR), Institut universitaire sur la réadaptation en déficience physique de Montréal (IURDPM), Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux du Centre-Sud-de-l'Ile-de-Montréal (CCSMTL), Canada

Type de document

Études primaires

Année de publication

2024

Langue

Anglais

Titre de la revue

Journal of Biomechanics

Résumé

Direct in vivo measurements of spinal stability are not possible, leaving computational estimations (such as dynamic time series and structural analyses) as the feasible option. However, differences between different stability assessment approaches and metrics remain unclear. To explore this, we asked 32 participants to perform 35 cycles of repetitive lifts with and without load (4/2.6 kg for males/females). EMG signals and 3D kinematics were collected via 12 surface electrodes and 17 inertial sensors, and three dynamical stability measures were computed: short and long temporal and conventional maximum Lyapunov exponents (LyE) and maximum Floquet multipliers (FM). A dynamic subject-specific EMG-assisted musculoskeletal model computed four structural stability measures (critical muscle stiffness coefficient at which spine becomes unstable, average spine stiffness, minimum and geometric average of Hessian matrix eigenvalues). Across cycles, dynamical and structural stability outcomes varied noticeably. Temporal short-term LyE and all structural stability measures were more influenced by the cycle percentage (posture factor) than by phase (lifting, lowering) or load factor. The effect of all factors were non-significant for FM and long LyE, except for the posture on LyE-L with a small effect size. Pearson's correlations revealed a weak to moderate, or non-existent, correlation between structural and dynamical stability metrics, with small shared variances, underscoring their distinct and independent nature and theoretical foundations. Moreover, the low sensitivity of dynamic measures to posture and load factors, found in this study, calls for further examination. Considering the limitations and shortcomings of both dynamical and structural stability assessment approaches, there is a need for the development of improved musculoskeletal stability evaluation techniques. © 2023

Mots-clés

Physiologie de l'appareil locomoteur, Physiology of musculoskeletal system, Colonne vertébrale, Spinal column, Mécanique humaine, Body mechanics, Électromyographie, Electromyography

Numéro de projet IRSST

2019-0018

Citation recommandée

Eskandari, A. H., Ghezelbash, F., Shirazi-Adl, A. et Larivière, C. (2024). Comparative evaluation of different spinal stability metrics. Journal of Biomechanics, 162, article 111901. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2023.111901