Engineering Commons^™

Delivery Optimization And Evaluation Of Biomechanics Of An Injectable Nucleus Pulposus Replacement Device, Zachary Rustin Brown

Theses and Dissertations

Lower back pain effects up to 80% of people at some point in their life, a majority of cases being the result of degenerative disc disease. Treatment options for degenerative disc disease are limited, jumping from physical therapy to major spinal fusion and total disc replacement surgery with little to no approaches in between. Furthermore, surgical treatments have not shown to be more effective than conservative treatments and reducing pain and disability over the long term. Hydrogels have shown promise as a potential nucleus pulposus replacement device. Their properties are controllable and can be implanted into the body through minimally …