Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

The Effect Of Fixation Plate Length On Spinal Instability Following Anterior Cervical Plate Fixation For The Repair Of In Vitro Flexion-Distraction Injuries, Abdulaziz J. Al-Kuwari

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Abstract:

The Effect of Fixation Plate Length on Spinal Instability Following Anterior Cervical Plate Fixation for the Repair of in Vitro Flexion-Distraction Injuries

Introduction: Anterior cervical decompression and fusion with a plate (ACDFP) is a commonly performed treatment following a traumatic injury to the subaxial cervical spine. The purpose of the presented work was to determine the biomechanical effect of plate length on cervical spine kinematic stability following ACDFP stabilization for a simulated traumatic injury.

Methods: Eleven fresh-frozen cadaveric C5-C6 and C6-C7 motion segments were examined in this study. To assess kinematics, flexibility testing was performed on each specimen …

Dynamic Simulations And Data Mining Of Single-Leg Jump Landing: Implications For Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Prevention, Kristin Denise Morgan

Doctoral Dissertations

It is estimated that 400,000 anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries occur in the United States each year with the cost of ACL reconstruction surgery and rehabilitation exceeding $1 billion annually. The majority of ACL injuries are non-contact injuries occurring during cutting and jump landing movements. Because the majority of the injuries are non-contact injuries there is the potential to develop programs to reduce the risk of injury. Given our understanding of the joint kinematics and kinetics that place an individual at high risk for ACL, researchers have developed neuromuscular training programs that focus on improving muscle function in order to …

Development Of An In-Vitro Passive And Active Motion Simulator For The Investigation Of Shoulder Function And Kinematics, Joshua W. Giles

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Injuries and degenerative diseases of the shoulder are common and may relate to the joint’s complex biomechanics, which rely primarily on soft tissues to achieve stability. Despite the prevalence of these disorders, there is little information about their effects on the biomechanics of the shoulder, and a lack of evidence with which to guide clinical practice. Insight into these disorders and their treatments can be gained through in-vitro biomechanical experiments where the achieved physiologic accuracy and repeatability directly influence their efficacy and impact.

This work’s rationale was that developing a simulator with greater physiologic accuracy and testing capabilities would improve …

Analysis And Modeling Of The Roles Of Actin-Myosin Interactions In Bladder Smooth Muscle Biomechanics, Seyed Omid Komariza

Theses and Dissertations

Muscle mechanical behavior potentially plays an important role in some of the most common bladder disorders. These include overactive bladder, which can involve involuntary contractions during bladder filling, and impaired contractility or underactive bladder, which may involve weak or incomplete contractions during voiding. Actin-myosin cross-bridges in detrusor smooth muscle (DSM) are responsible for contracting and emptying the bladder. The total tension produced by muscle is the sum of its preload and active tensions. Studies suggest that actin-myosin cross-links are involved in adjustable preload stiffness (APS), which is characterized by a preload tension curve that can be shifted along the length …

Design And Validation Of A Computational Model For Study Of Scapholunate Joint Kinematics, Edward J. Tremols

Theses and Dissertations

As computational power has increased, computational modeling has become a very promising tool to model the biomechanics of complex joint systems. Musculoskeletal computational models have become more complex when compared to original iterations which utilized a number of simplifications. This thesis utilized a three-dimensional computational model of the wrist joint structure to investigate scapholunate kinematics. The model accurately represented the bony anatomy of the wrist and hand and represented soft tissue structures such as ligaments, tendons, and other surrounding tissues. Creation of the model was done using commercially available computer-aided design and medical image processing software, and utilized the rigid …