Our Research - Functional Spinal Interventions

In the spinal biomechanics field we are using both computational and experimental modelling techniques to research treatments including vertebroplasty and total disc replacement as well as spinal trauma and cord injury. The research has won several international awards (including the John Moe Basic Science Award at the SRS) and collaborative projects are being undertaken with specialist centres in Europe, Canada, the USA and Australia. Funding for our research includes major grants from the National Institute of Health and the EPSRC. New activities are being promoted in the areas of total disc replacement, tissue sparring interventions and patient-specific modelling.

Current Research

Eight out of ten adults experience an episode of lower back pain during their lifetime and the symptoms of a significant number will continue to progress despite conservative treatment. Back pain is caused by a number of underlying factors and may originate in both the hard and soft tissues. Surgical interventions in the spine have undergone a revolution in the last decade, with the introduction of new procedures to address both pain and mobility.

Our research focuses on the evaluation and optimisation of these new spinal treatments and on investigating the underlying biomechanics of the healthy and diseased/damaged spine. We use a combined computational and experimental approach and have extensive experimental facilities including three spine simulators and a micro-CT scanner. We have developed methods of generating subject-specific finite element models of our experimental specimens to provide more robust validation of our computational simulations.

In the vertebrae, osteoporosis, aging and traumatic injuries can cause fracture of the bone leading to pain and deformity. Recently, vertebroplasty (the injection of bone cement into the damaged vertebra) has been introduced but longer term results are variable and indicate the treatment may accelerate fracture in the adjacent vertebrae. Our biomechanical studies are investigating how patient-specific factors influence the outcome of the treatment and whether new types of bio-active cement can be developed to optimise the long-term performance.

In the soft tissues, a number of new treatments including total disc replacement, nucleus replacement and annulus repair are being introduced clinically but the longer term performance has not yet been fully investigated. Our studies of total disc replacement are studying the longer term consequence of wear through simulator studies. We are also investigating both new materials and pre-clinical testing methods for tissue-sparing spinal interventions.

Follow the link for a list of our current/recent research projects.