Development and validation of a subject-specific integrated finite element musculoskeletal model of human trunk with ergonomic and clinical applications
Bibliographic record
Abstract
Abstract Background and Objectives Biomechanical modeling of the human trunk is crucial for understanding spinal mechanics and its role in ergonomics and clinical interventions. Traditional models have been limited by only considering the passive structures of the spine in finite element (FE) models or incorporating active muscular components in multi-body musculoskeletal (MS) models with an oversimplified spine. This study aimed to develop and validate a subject-specific coupled FE-MS model of the trunk that integrates detailed representation of both the passive and active components for biomechanical simulations. Methods We constructed a parametric FE model of the trunk, incorporating a realistic muscle architecture, personalized through imaging datasets and statistical shape models. To validate the model, we compared tissue-level responses with in vitro experiments, and muscle activities and intradiscal pressures versus in vivo measurements during various physical activities. We further demonstrated the versatility of the proposed personalized integrated framework through additional applications in ergonomics (i.e., wearing an exoskeleton) and surgical interventions (e.g., nucleotomy and spinal fusion). Results The model demonstrated satisfactory agreement with experimental data, showcasing its validity to predict tissue- and disc-level responses accurately, as well as muscle activity and intradiscal pressures. When simulating ergonomics scenarios, the exoskeleton-wearing condition resulted in lower intradiscal pressures (1.9 MPa vs. 2.2 MPa at L4-L5) and peak von Mises stresses in the annulus fibrosus (2.2 MPa vs. 2.9 MPa) during forward flexion. In the context of surgical interventions, spinal fusion at L4-L5 led to increased intradiscal pressure in the adjacent upper disc (1.72 MPa vs. 1.58 MPa), whereas nucleotomy minimally influenced intact disc pressures but significantly altered facet joint loads and annulus fibrosus radial strains. Conclusions The integrated FE-MS model of the trunk represents a significant advancement in biomechanical simulations, providing insights into the intricate interplay between active and passive spinal components. Its predictive capability extends beyond that of conventional models, enabling detailed risk analysis and the simulation of varied surgical outcomes. This comprehensive tool has potential implications for the design of ergonomic interventions and the optimization of surgical techniques to minimize detrimental effects on spinal mechanics.
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How this classification was reachedexpand
Full frame machine prediction
Teacher imitationNot calibrated prevalence, not ground truth. Human validation pending. The Gemma side is a direct model label for every work in the frame, read from the title-only record. The Codex side is a classifier learned from the 10,348 direct Codex labels and calibrated to design-weighted sample rates; fields without enough sample support carry no Codex call. Candidate is the union of the two sides; consensus is their intersection. These outputs are machine_predicted_unvalidated and are not human labels.
Distilled classifier scores by category (both heads)
| Category | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Metaresearch | 0.000 | 0.001 |
| Meta-epidemiology (narrow) | 0.001 | 0.000 |
| Meta-epidemiology (broad) | 0.000 | 0.001 |
| Bibliometrics | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Science and technology studies | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Scholarly communication | 0.001 | 0.000 |
| Open science | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Research integrity | 0.001 | 0.000 |
| Insufficient payload (model declined to judge) | 0.002 | 0.001 |
Machine scores (provisional)
The two teacher heads of the student model, read on this work. A score orders the frame for review; it never asserts a category, and the validation status ships verbatim with every row.
Baseline scores from an immature model (maturity gate not passed, 7 training rounds). Scores rank; they never assert a category.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · verbatim from the scoring run: score_only means the number may rank works, and no category label ships from itClassification
machine, unvalidatedMachine predicted; a candidate call from one source (direct Gemma or distilled Codex), not a consensus.
How this classification was reached, model by model and score by score, is at the end of the page under "How this classification was reached".