The relationship between single muscle fibre and voluntary rate of force development in young and old males.

PURPOSE: It is suggested that the early phase (< 50 ms) of force development during a muscle contraction is associated with intrinsic contractile properties, while the late phase (> 50 ms) is associated with maximal force. There are no direct investigations of single muscle fibre rate of force development (RFD) as related to joint-level RFD METHODS: Sixteen healthy, young (n = 8; 26.4 ± 1.5 yrs) and old (n = 8; 70.1 ± 2.8 yrs) males performed maximal voluntary isometric contractions (MVC) and electrically evoked twitches of the knee extensors to assess RFD. Then, percutaneous muscle biopsies were taken from the vastus lateralis and chemically permeabilized, to assess single fibre function. RESULTS: At the joint level, older males were ~ 30% weaker and had ~ 43% and ~ 40% lower voluntary RFD values at 0-100 and 0-200 ms, respectively, than the younger ones (p ≤ 0.05). MVC torque was related to every voluntary RFD epoch in the young (p ≤ 0.001), but only the 0-200 ms epoch in the old (p ≤ 0.005). Twitch RFD was ~ 32% lower in the old compared to young (p < 0.05). There was a strong positive relationship between twitch RFD and voluntary RFD during the earliest time epochs in the young (≤ 100 ms; p ≤ 0.01). While single fibre RFD was unrelated to joint-level RFD in the young, older adults trended (p = 0.052-0.055) towards significant relationships between joint-level RTD and Type I single fibre RFD at the 0-30 ms (r2 = 0.48) and 0-50 ms (r2 = 0.49) time epochs. CONCLUSION: Electrically evoked twitches are good predictors of early voluntary RFD in young, but not older adults. Only the older adults showed a potential relationship between single fibre (Type I) and joint-level rate of force development.

Influence of Spine-Focused Verbal Instruction on Spine Flexion During Lifting.

Lifting with a flexed spine, especially near the end range of motion, has been identified as a potential risk factor for low back injury/pain. Therefore, individuals who develop discomfort from repetitive, prolonged and/or loaded flexed or slouched postures may benefit from a greater awareness of how to control and/or modify their spinal posture to avoid irritating their backs in these situations. This study was therefore designed to test the ability of spine-oriented verbal instructions to reduce intersegmental spine flexion during three lifting tasks. The lifts were first performed without any instructions on lifting technique. An audio recording was then played with instructions to limit bending in the lower back before repeating the lifts. Following the verbal instructions, maximum spine flexion angles significantly (p < 0.05) decreased at intersegmental levels in the lower thoracic and upper lumbar (T8/T9 to L2/L3) regions, but no significant changes were observed at the lower lumbar levels (L3/L4 to L5/S1). Thus, it is concluded that spine-oriented verbal instructions can decrease spine flexion during lifting; however, other cues/instructions may be required to target lower lumbar levels which have been identified as the most prone to injury/pain.

Rate of force development is Ca2+-dependent and influenced by Ca2+-sensitivity in human single muscle fibres from older adults.

Natural adult aging is associated with declines in skeletal muscle performance, including impaired Ca2+ sensitivity and a slowing of rapid force production (rate of force redevelopment; ktr). The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between impaired Ca2+ sensitivity and ktr of single muscle fibres from young and older adults. Participants included 8 young (22-35 yrs) and 8 older (60-81 yrs) males who were living independently. A percutaneous muscle biopsy of the vastus lateralis of each participant was performed. Single muscle fibre mechanical tests included maximal Ca2+-activated force (Po), force-pCa curves, and ktr. We showed a decrease in pCa50 in old type II fibres compared to young, indicating impaired Ca2+ sensitivity in older adults. The ktr behaved in a Ca2+-dependent manner such that with increasing [Ca2+], ktr increases, to a plateau. Interestingly, ktr was not different between young and old muscle fibres. Furthermore, we found strong associations between pCa50 and ktr in both old type I and type II fibres, such that those fibres with lower Ca2+ sensitivity had a slowed ktr. This Ca2+ association, combined with impaired Ca2+ handling in older adults suggests a potential Ca2+-dependent mechanism affecting the transition from weakly- to strongly-bound cross-bridge states, leading to a decline in skeletal muscle performance. Future research is needed to explore the role alterations to Ca2+ sensitivity/handling could be playing in age-related whole muscle performance declines.

Unloaded Organ Culturing Has a Detrimental Effect on the Axial Mechanical Properties of the Intervertebral Disc.

Healthy function of intervertebral discs (IVDs) depends on their tissue mechanical properties. Native cells embedded within IVD tissues are responsible for building, maintaining, and repairing IVD structures in response to genetic, biochemical, and mechanical signals. Organ culturing provides a method for investigating how cells respond to these stimuli in their natural architectural environment. The purpose of this study was to determine how organ culturing affects the mechanical characteristics of functional spine units (FSUs) across the entire range of axial loading, including the neutral zone (NZ), using a rat tail model. Rat tail FSUs were organ cultured at 37 °C in an unloaded state in standard culture media for either 1-day (n = 8) or 6-days (n = 12). Noncultured FSUs (n = 12) were included as fresh control specimens. Axial mechanical properties were tested by applying cyclical compression and tension. A novel mathematical approach was developed to fully characterize the relationship between load, stiffness, and deformation through the entire range of loading. Culturing FSUs for 1-day did not affect any of the axial mechanical outcome measures compared to noncultured IVDs; however, culturing for 6 days increased the size of NZ by 112% and decreased the stiffness in NZ, compressive, and tensile regions by 53%, 19%, and 15%, respectively, compared to noncultured FSUs. These results highlight the importance of considering how the mechanical integrity of IVD tissues may affect the transmission of mechanical signals to cells in unloaded organ culturing experiments.

Mechanical Consequence of Induced Intervertebral Disc Degeneration in the SPARC-Null Mouse.

Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is associated with low back pain (LBP) and accompanied by mechanical changes to the spine. Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) is a protein that contributes to the functioning and maintenance of the extracellular matrix. SPARC-null mice display accelerated IVD degeneration and pain-associated behaviors. This study examined if SPARC-null mice also display altered spine mechanics as compared to wild-type (WT) mice. Lumbar spines from SPARC-null (n = 36) and WT (n = 18) mice aged 14-25 months were subjected to cyclic axial tension and compression to determine neutral zone (NZ) length and stiffness. Three separate mechanical tests were completed for each spine to determine the effect of the number of IVDs tested in series (one versus two versus three IVDs). SPARC-null spine NZs were both stiffer (p < 0.001) and smaller in length (p < 0.001) than WT spines. There was an effect of the number of IVDs tested in series for NZ length but not NZ stiffness when collapsed across condition (SPARC-null and WT). Correlation analysis revealed a weak negative correlation (r = -0.24) between age and NZ length in SPARC-null mice and a weak positive correlation (r = 0.30) between age and NZ stiffness in WT mice. In conclusion, SPARC-null mice had stiffer and smaller NZs than WT mice, regardless of the number of IVDs in series being tested. The increased stiffness of these IVDs likely influences mobility at these spinal joints thereby potentially contributing to low back pain.

High Load With Lower Repetitions vs. Low Load With Higher Repetitions: The Impact on Asymmetry in Weight Distribution During Deadlifting.

This study investigated weight distribution between the lower limbs using a symmetry index (SI) score of the vertical ground reaction forces (GRF) and measures of postural stability in high load/low repetition (termed "heavy") and low load/high repetition (termed "light") deadlifting. Ten participants performed two deadlift protocols with equal cumulative external load. These protocols were designed to represent standard high load/low repetition and low load/high repetition workouts; order was random and separated by 7 days. An effect of lifting condition (p = 0.023) and set number (p = 0.011) was observed such that lifts in the heavy condition were less symmetrical than those in the light condition and lifts became more symmetrical as set number increased. There was no effect of lift number on symmetry of force production (p = 0.127). Additional analysis revealed that center of pressure (COP) path length was greater during heavy lifts (p = 0.002) however COP range was unaffected suggesting controlled point of force application within the same boundaries regardless of lifting condition. As asymmetries have been previously associated with increased injury risk, greater training emphasis on the symmetrical performance of sub-maximal deadlifts should be considered to try to minimize the development of asymmetries.

Rapid increase in intradiscal pressure in porcine cervical spine units negatively impacts annulus fibrosus strength.

Vertebral endplate fracture is generally accepted to occur as a result of excessive, typically rapid, pressure developed within the intervertebral disc. Clinical evidence of disc disorders later in life following endplate fracture suggests that the disc is also impacted by the fracture event. There is an abundance of evidence to indicate that loss of disc pressure at the time of fracture alters annulus fibrosus loading which could impact disc health long-term. However, little is known regarding the isolated impact of the rapid disc pressurization during the fracture event. This study sought to determine if rapid disc pressurization impacts mechanical properties of the annulus. Intervertebral discs of porcine cervical functional spine units (FSU) were pressurized via rapid injection of hydraulic fluid (standard motor oil). FSUs were subsequently grouped according to whether the pressurization resulted in endplate fracture ('fracture'; n = 9) or not ('non-fracture'; n = 13). Annular tensile properties and lamellar adhesion strength were quantified for both fractured and non-fractured samples. A third group was also examined in which FSUs did not undergo the pressurization protocol ('control'; n = 10). Annular tensile properties were not found to be statistically different between the three conditions (p > 0.05). Lamellar adhesion strength, in contrast, was found to be, on average, 53% lower in specimens which were pressurized compared to control, non-pressurized samples (p = 0.03). Further, no statistical differences in adhesion strength was found between fractured and non-fractured pressurized samples (p = 0.990) indicating that rapid pressurization , and not the presence of an endplate fracture, impacted the mechanical properties of the annulus. Decreased lamellar adhesion strength increases the potential of delamination, which can lead to disc disorders.

Fiber Type and Size as Sources of Variation in Human Single Muscle Fiber Passive Elasticity.

Studies on single muscle fiber passive material properties often report relatively large variation in elastic modulus (or normalized stiffness), and it is not clear where this variation arises. This study was designed to determine if the stiffness, normalized to both fiber cross-sectional area and length, is inherently different between types 1 and 2 muscle fibers. Vastus lateralis fibers (n = 93), from ten young men, were mechanically tested using a cumulative stretch-relaxation protocol. SDS-PAGE classified fibers as types 1 or 2. While there was a difference in normalized stiffness between fiber types (p = 0.0019), an unexpected inverse relationship was found between fiber diameter and normalized stiffness (r = -0.64; p < 0.001). As fiber type and diameter are not independent, a one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) including fiber diameter as a covariate was run; this eliminated the effect of fiber type on normalized stiffness (p = 0.1935). To further explore the relationship between fiber size and elastic properties, we tested whether stiffness was linearly related to fiber cross-sectional area, as would be expected for a homogenous material. Passive stiffness was not linearly related to fiber area (p < 0.001), which can occur if single muscle fibers are better represented as composite materials. The rule of mixtures for composite materials was used to explore whether the presence of a stiff perimeter-based fiber component could explain the observed results. The model (R2 = 0.38) predicted a perimeter-based normalized stiffness of 8800 ± 2600 kPa/µm, which is within the range of basement membrane moduli reported in the literature.

Age-related changes in human single muscle fibre passive elastic properties are sarcomere length dependent.

PURPOSE: Studies have revealed an age-related decrease in the ability to produce force as well as an increase in the contractile stiffness and passive stress of single muscle fibres. However, further insight into age-related changes to the passive properties of human skeletal muscles is needed. The aim of this study was to characterize single muscle fibre passive properties from young and old males across a physiologic range of sarcomere lengths (SLs). METHODS: Ten young ([YM]: mean age: 25.4 years) and ten old ([OM]: mean age: 68.9 years) males participated. Vastus lateralis muscles were biopsied and 182 fibres were tested and analyzed (90 YM and 92 OM) using a cumulative stretch-relaxation protocol. Passive mechanical characteristics of each fibre were obtained by fitting the integral of the logistic function to experimental stress-SL data. RESULTS: Muscle fibres from older individuals had significantly greater passive elastic moduli at short SL (1.9-2.65 µm) compared with young (p < 0.05). This resulted in a significantly larger passive stress for SLs between 2.1 µm and 3.55 µm for older individuals when compared with young (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: These results provide novel insight into the length dependency of changes in single muscle fibre passive mechanical properties with age.

Immuno-stimulatory capacity of decorin in the rat tail intervertebral disc and the mechanical consequence of resultant inflammation.

PURPOSE: Determine whether decorin is immuno-stimulatory to rat tail IVD cells and to characterize the mechanical consequence of inflammation at the whole rat tail IVD level. METHODS: Cultured rat tail annulus fibrosus (AF) cells were exposed to decorin, a resident IVD small leucine-rich proteoglycan (SLRP), with and without the presence of a toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 inhibitor, TAK-242. Resultant expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine and chemokines (MCP-1; MIP-2; RANTES; IL-6; TNFα) were quantified over 24 h. Whole rat tail IVD cultures (n = 50) were also treated with decorin (two concentrations: 0.5 and 5.0 µg/mL) with and without TAK-242 (via nucleus pulpous injection with a 33-gauge needle), and resultant mechanical properties were measured. RESULTS: AF cells exposed to decorin showed significant increases in pro-inflammatory cytokine and chemokine production; this was significantly blunted with the presence of TAK-242. Whole IVDs injected with decorin showed a dose-dependent decrease in neutral zone and tensile stiffness and an increase in neutral zone size. When TAK-242 was injected into the IVD with the decorin, mechanical stiffness was preserved and not different from sham controls (injected with PBS). CONCLUSION: AF cells are capable of detecting decorin and inducing inflammation. Decorin further resulted in a functional deterioration in IVD mechanical integrity. TAK- 242, a TLR4 inhibitor, blunted chemokine production at the cellular level and preserved mechanical stiffness in the whole IVD.

Characteristics of sarcomere length operating ranges in the rat lumbar spine extensor muscles: comparison to human

Proper coordination and function of muscles is required to move and stabilize the spine. However, due to difficulty in sampling, few empirical data exist regarding the specific structural and architectural characteristics of spine muscles in humans. The use of animal models is an alternative; but comparisons between animal and human spine muscles are lacking. Therefore, ten adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were euthanized, skinned and immersion-fixed in formalin; six rats in a neutral spine position and four rats in a fully flexed spine position. Longissimus, iliocostalis and multifidus muscles were excised, individual fascicles were dissected and sarcomere lengths were measured via laser diffraction. Results demonstrat-ed that mean sarcomere lengths in the neutral position were 2.29 μm, 2.44 μm and 2.44 μm for the multifidus, longissimus and iliocostalis, respecti-vely. In the fully flexed posture, sarcomeres were lengthened to 2.79 μm, 2.92 μm and 2.91 μm, respectively. In the neutral spine posture, these mus-cles were closer to optimal length compared to those previously measured in humans. In the fullyflexed posture, these muscles exhibited similar relative lengths (on the descending limb of the force-length relationship) compared to those previously modeled in humans. In summary, rat spine extensor muscles have longer sarcomeres, relative to optimal length, in the neutral posture compared to human spine extensor muscles. However, in the fully flexed spine position, both rat and human spine muscles act on the descending limb of the force-length relationship, all at similar relative lengths. These data provide a context to guide the use of rat spine muscles as a model to understand structural and functional characteristics in the human

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Increased Substance P Immunoreactivity in Ipsilateral Knee Cartilage of Rats Exposed to Lumbar Spine Injury.

OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to investigate whether experimentally induced lumbar facet-joint OA lead to degenerative changes and enhanced SP expression within the ipsilateral neurosegmentally linked tibiofemoral cartilage. METHODS: Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to left side L5-L6 facet mechanical compression injury (surgery) (n = 6), L5-L6 facet exposure with no compression (sham) (n = 5), or naïve (no surgery) (n = 4) groups. The morphology of the tibiofemoral articular cartilage was assessed using a modified Mankin scoring system. Immunohistochemistry was used to examine the density of chondrocytes stained positive for SP (cells/cm2) in the ipsilateral tibiofemoral cartilage at 28 days postintervention. RESULTS: Tibiofemoral cartilage in the surgery group showed consistent loss of superficial zone chondrocytes, mild roughening of the articular surface and occasional chondrocyte clusters as well as a greater density of SP mainly in the superficial cartilage zone compared with sham and naïve groups, although they also had a basic SP-expression. CONCLUSION: Our results support the hypothesis that neurogenic mechanisms may mediate the spread of SP to neurosegmentally linked heterologous joints affecting the distal cartilage homeostasis. These findings contribute additional insight into the potential role of neurogenic inflammation with implications in the pathophysiology of chronic inflammatory joint disease and OA.

Experimental validation of a novel spine model demonstrates the large contribution of passive muscle to the flexion relaxation phenomenon.

When an individual enters a maximally flexed spine position, their largest extensor muscles become electrically inactive despite a substantial extensor moment demand being placed on the low back; this is termed flexion relaxation. Stresses within intervertebral discs, ligaments, and passive muscles are thought to support this moment thereby allowing the extensor muscles to 'turn off'. While the mechanical behaviour of the intervertebral disc and ligaments have been studied extensively, less is known regarding the moment supported by passive muscle tissue during spine flexion. Here we estimated the L4/L5 moment supported by the passive musculature during spine flexion based on experimentally derived architectural and material properties. We then tested the validity of the passive muscle prediction by determining whether the cumulative passive tissue moment (including passive muscle, intervertebral discs, and ligaments) would support the extensor moment demand-calculated with inverse dynamics-near maximum spine flexion. The model predicted that the passive tissues were able to support the entire extensor moment demand, indicating that muscle activity was not required to support the weight of the upper body, consistent with the mechanism of flexion relaxation. The model further demonstrated that despite being inactive, spine muscles still greatly contribute to flexion relaxation by passively supporting ~47% of the extensor moment demand on the spine. Finally, there was strong agreement between the predicted active muscle moments and the recorded spine muscle activity (EMG); this strong agreement persisted when the external moment was manipulated using a pulley-system. These findings provide additional confidence that the estimated passive muscle moments are reasonably accurate throughout spine flexion.

Characterization of the passive mechanical properties of spine muscles across species.

Passive mechanical properties differ between muscle groups within a species. Altered functional demands can also shift the passive force-length relationship. The extent that passive mechanical properties differ within a muscle group (e.g. spine extensors) or between homologous muscles of different species is unknown. It was hypothesized that multifidus, believed to specialize in spine stabilization, would generate greater passive tensile stresses under isometric conditions than erector spinae, which have more generalized functions of moving and stabilizing the spine; observing greater multifidus moduli in different species would strengthen this hypothesis. Permeabilized fibre bundles (n = 337) from the multifidus and erector spinae of mice, rats, and rabbits were mechanically tested. A novel logistic function was fit to the experimental data to fully characterize passive stress and modulus. Species had the greatest effect on passive muscle parameters with mice having the largest moduli at all lengths. Rats generated less passive stress than rabbits due to a shift of the passive force-length relationship towards longer muscle lengths. Rat multifidus generated slightly greater stresses than erector spinae, but no differences were observed between mouse muscles. The secondary objective was to determine the parameters required to simulate the passive force-length relationship. Experimental data were compared to the passive muscle model in OpenSim. The default OpenSim model, optimized for hindlimb muscles, did not fit any of the spine muscles tested; however, the model could accurately simulate experimental data after adjusting the input parameters. The optimal parameters for modelling the passive force-length relationships of spine muscles in OpenSim are presented.

Distinguishing between typical and atypical motion patterns amongst healthy individuals during a constrained spine flexion task.

Despite 'abnormal' motion being considered a risk factor for low back injury, the current understanding of 'normal' spine motion is limited. Identifying normal motion within an individual is complicated by the considerable variation in movement patterns amongst healthy individuals. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to characterize sources of variation in spine motion among a sample of healthy participants. The second objective of this study was to develop a multivariate model capable of predicting an expected movement pattern for an individual. The kinematic shape of the lower thoracic and lumbar spine was recorded during a constrained dynamic trunk flexion movement; as this is not a normal everyday movement task, movements are considered 'typical' and 'atypical' for this task rather than 'normal' and 'abnormal'. Variations in neutral standing posture accounted for 85% of the variation in spine motion throughout the task. Differences in total spine range of flexion and a regional re-weighting of range of motion between lower thoracic and lumbar regions explained a further 9% of the variance among individuals. The analysis also highlighted a difference in temporal sequencing of motion between lower thoracic and lumbar regions which explained 2% of the total movement variation. These identified sources of variation were used to select independent variables for a multivariate linear model capable of predicting an individuals' expected movement pattern. This was done as a proof-of-concept to demonstrate how the error between predicted and observed motion patterns could be used to differentiate between 'typical' and 'atypical' movement strategies.

Discriminating spatiotemporal movement strategies during spine flexion-extension in healthy individuals.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: The spine is an anatomically complex system with numerous degrees of freedom. Due to this anatomical complexity, it is likely that multiple motor control options exist to complete a given task. PURPOSE: To identify if distinct spine spatiotemporal movement strategies are utilized in a homogenous sample of young healthy participants. STUDY DESIGN: Kinematic data were captured from a single cohort of male participants (N=51) during a simple, self-controlled spine flexion-extension task. METHODS: Thoracic and lumbar flexion-extension data were analyzed to extract the continuous relative phase between each spine subsection. Continuous relative phase data were evaluated using a principal component analysis to identify major sources of variation in spine movement coordination. Unsupervised machine learning (k-means clustering) was used to identify distinct clusters present within the healthy participants sampled. Once distinguished, intersegmental spine kinematics were compared amongst clusters. RESULTS: The findings of the current work suggest that there are distinct timing strategies that are utilized, within the participants sampled, to control spine flexion-extension movement. These strategies differentiate the sequencing of intersegmental movement and are not discriminable on the basis of simple participant demographic characteristics (ie, age, height, and body mass index), total movement time or range of motion. CONCLUSIONS: Spatiotemporal spine flexion-extension patterns are not uniform across a population of young healthy individuals. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Future work needs to identify whether the motor patterns characterized with this work are driven by distinct neuromuscular activation patterns, and if each given pattern has a varied risk for low back injury.

Characterizing Local Dynamic Stability of Lumbar Spine Sub-regions During Repetitive Trunk Flexion-Extension Movements.

Using a technique of tracking intersegmental spine kinematics via skin surface markers, this study aimed to estimate local dynamic spine stability across smaller sub-regions (or segments) of the lumbar spine while also considering the impact of an external pelvic constraint during repetitive movements. Sixteen participants (10 males) performed two trials [Free Motion (FM), Pelvis Constrained (PC)] each consisting of 65 repetitive trunk flexion-extension movements to assess dynamic spine stability using maximum Lyapunov exponents (LyE). First, results indicated that LyE obtained from analysis of 30 repetitive flexion-extension movements did not differ from those obtained from analysis of greater numbers of repetitive movements, which aligns with results from a previous study for the whole lumbar spine. Next, for both males and females, and FM and PC trials, the most caudal region of the lumbar spine behaved the most dynamically stable, while upper lumbar regions behaved the most dynamically unstable. Finally, females demonstrated greater lumbar and intersegmental stability (lower LyE) during PC trials compared to FM, while males demonstrated slightly decreased lumbar and intersegmental stability (higher LyE) during PC trials compared to FM; this resulted in PC trials, but not FM trials, being different between sexes. Altogether, these data show that dynamic stability of lumbar spine sub-regions may be related to the proximity of the motion segment to rigid skeletal structures, and that consideration is needed when deciding whether to constrain the pelvis during analyses of dynamic spine stability.

Investigation of the passive mechanical properties of spine muscles following disruption of the thoracolumbar fascia and erector spinae aponeurosis, as well as facet injury in a rat.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Muscle tissue is known to remodel in response to changes to its mechanical environment. Alterations in passive mechanical properties of muscles can influence spine stiffness and stability. PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine whether passive muscle elastic moduli and passive muscle stresses increased 28 days following mechanical disruption of the thoracolumbar fascia and erector spinae aponeurosis, and injury induced by facet joint compression. STUDY DESIGN: Male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assigned to three groups (Incision n=8; Injury n=8; and Control n=6). METHODS: The thoracolumbar fascia and erector spinae aponeurosis were incised in the Incision and Injury groups to expose the left L5-L6 facet joint. In the Injury group, this facet was additionally compressed for three minutes to induce facet injury and cartilage degeneration. Twenty-eight days after surgery, rats were sacrificed and muscle samples were harvested from lumbar and thoracic erector spinae and multifidus for mechanical testing. RESULTS: Histologic staining revealed mild cartilage degeneration and boney remodeling in the Injury group. However, the hypotheses that either (1) disruption of the thoracolumbar fascia and erector spinae aponeurosis (Incision group) or (2) the addition of facet compression (Injury group) would increase the passive elastic modulus and stress of surrounding muscles were rejected. There was no effect of surgery (Incision or Injury) on the passive elastic modulus (p=.6597). Passive muscle stresses were also not different at any sarcomere length between surgical groups (p>.7043). CONCLUSION: Disruption of the thoracolumbar fascia and erector spinae aponeurosis and mild facet damage do not lead to measurable changes in passive muscle mechanical properties within 28 days. These findings contribute to our understanding of how spine muscles are affected by injury and fundamental aspects of the initial stages of spine surgery.

Development of a Novel Technique to Record 3D Intersegmental Angular Kinematics During Dynamic Spine Movements.

A novel method of recording intersegmental spine kinematics was developed. The method was required to: (1) have similar accuracy and precision as current methods that record gross spine kinematics; (2) be reasonably insensitive to errors associated with marker detection or misplacement; and (3) be reasonably insensitive to skin movement artefacts. Four healthy participants performed trunk flexion, lateral bending, and axial twist movements; data were collected using the intersegmental method as well as electromagnetic sensors. Comparing methods, gross angular kinematic differences were within 1 SD during flexion and lateral bend, while axial twist resulted in the largest differences. To test sensitivity to marker error, random error was added to marker positions. The most proximal and distal intersegmental units were the most sensitive to marker error. Adding additional markers at the ends or interpolating padded markers reduced this sensitivity. The influence of skin movement artefact was investigated by digitizing locations of the skin with respect to the spinous processes in both neutral and fully flexed postures. In the lumbar region, large skin artefacts had minimal effect on intersegmental angles. The greatest strength of this method is the ability to dynamically record intersegmental spine kinematics.

Paraspinal Muscle Passive Stiffness Remodels in Direct Response to Spine Stiffness: A Study Using the ENT1-Deficient Mouse.

STUDY DESIGN: Basic science study of the relationship between the structural properties of the spine and its surrounding musculature. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether an increase in spine stiffness causes an inverse compensatory change in the passive stiffness of the adjacent paraspinal muscles. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Intervertebral disc degeneration causes an increase in multifidus passive stiffness; this was hypothesized to compensate for a decrease in spine stiffness associated with disc degeneration. Mice lacking equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (ENT1) develop progressive ectopic calcification of the fibrous connective tissues of the spine, which affects the lumbar spine by 6 months of age and likely creates a mechanically stiffer spine. METHODS: Experiments were conducted on four groups of mice (n = 8 mice/group): wild-type (WT) and ENT1 knockout (KO) at 2 or 8 months of age. Lumbar spines were removed and tested in cyclic axial compression to determine neutral zone length and stiffness. Single muscle fibers and bundles of fibers were isolated from lumbar multifidus and erector spinae, as well as tibialis anterior (a non-spine-related control) and tested to determine elastic modulus (passive stiffness). RESULTS: At 2 months of age, neither spine nor muscle stiffness was different between KO and WT. At 8 months of age, compared with WT the lumbar spines of ENT1 KO mice had a stiffer and shorter neutral zone, and the paraspinal muscle fibers were less stiff; however, fiber bundles were not different. In addition, tibialis anterior was not different between KO and WT. CONCLUSION: This work has confirmed that calcification of spinal connective tissues in the ENT1 KO mouse results in a stiffened spine, whereas the concurrent decrease in muscle fiber elastic modulus in the adjacent paraspinal muscles suggests a direct compensatory relationship between the stiffness of the spine and the muscles that are attached to it. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: N/A.