Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42298012›Full record

ArticleEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2026

A stiffness-dependent method to estimate spine kinematics and loading reveals the impact of nonlinear mechanics during lifting tasks.

Birgitt Peeters, Erica Beaucage-Gauvreau, Dennis Earl Anderson, Lennart Scheys

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Article in European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Birgitt PeetersInstitute for Orthopaedic Research and Training (IORT), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. birgitt.peeters@kuleuven.be.
Erica Beaucage-GauvreauInstitute of Physics-based Modeling for in silico Health, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Dennis Earl AndersonCenter for Advanced Orthopedic Studies, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, USA.
Lennart ScheysInstitute for Orthopaedic Research and Training (IORT), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.

Funding

Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek 1SE6225NNIAMS NIH HHS R01AR07319
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundConventional musculoskeletal spine models often rely on deterministic kinematic constraints to estimate spinopelvic kinematics and kinetics, which can produce unrealistic intervertebral motions and loading patterns. Incorporating intervertebral stiffness in kinematic evaluations would improve physiological accuracy, particularly during lifting tasks where spinal loading is critical.

methodsWe developed a stiffness-dependent kinematics estimation workflow that integrates nonlinear intervertebral stiffness within an optimal control formulation, enabling spinal motion to emerge from mechanical behaviour rather than prescribed kinematic constraints in full body musculoskeletal models. Eleven healthy participants performed trunk flexion, lateral bending, and axial rotation tasks, with and without lifting a load. Predicted kinematics and compressive forces were compared against a conventional constraints-driven approach. A single-subject dataset with biplanar radiography provided ground-truth validation of vertebral motions.

resultsThe stiffness-dependent method generated smoother, more physiologically plausible motion distributions and consistently reduced lumbar compressive loading. Vertebral orientation and position errors were lower than with the constraints-driven approach, and compressive forces aligned with literature ranges.

conclusionsNonlinear stiffness modelling yields more evenly distributed spinal kinematics and reduced lumbar loading, providing a physiologically grounded framework for spine biomechanics and injury prevention research.

Indexed as

Biplanar radiographyIntervertebral stiffnessMusculoskeletal modellingSpinal loadingSpinopelvic kinematics

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.