Biomechanics of the Spine: Basic Concepts, Spinal Disorders and Treatments

Biomechanics of the Spine encompasses the basics of spine biomechanics, spinal tissues, spinal disorders and treatment methods. Organized into four parts, the first chapters explore the functional anatomy of the spine, with special emphasis on aspects which are biomechanically relevant and quite often neglected in clinical literature. The second part describes the mechanics of the individual spinal tissues, along with commonly used testing set-ups and the constitutive models used to represent them in mathematical studies. The third part covers in detail the current methods which are used in spine research: experimental testing, numerical simulation and in vivo studies (imaging and motion analysis). The last part covers the biomechanical aspects of spinal pathologies and their surgical treatment.

This valuable reference is ideal for bioengineers who are involved in spine biomechanics, and spinal surgeons who are looking to broaden their biomechanical knowledge base. The contributors to this book are from the leading institutions in the world that are researching spine biomechanics.

• Includes broad coverage of spine disorders and surgery with a biomechanical focus
• Summarizes state-of-the-art and cutting-edge research in the field of spine biomechanics
• Discusses a variety of methods, including In vivo and In vitro testing, and finite element and musculoskeletal modeling

Fabio Galbusera, engineer, is the Head of Spine Research at the Schulthess Clinic in Zürich, Switzerland. His main research interests are the biomechanics of the spine, the use of numerical models for its investigation as well as spinal imaging, about which he published more than 170 papers in international peer-reviewed journals. In the last years, he pioneered the use of artificial intelligence in the field of spine research, especially for the automated analysis of radiological images of the spine. One of his works in this field was awarded the ISSLS Prize for Bioengineering 2021. He is a member of the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine (ISSLS), the Spine Society of Europe (EUROSPINE), the European Society of Biomechanics (ESB) and the European Society of Radiology (ESR), and is currently part of the Editorial Boards of Journal of Biomechanics, European Spine Journal, Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology and of European Radiology Experimental.Regarding books, in 2018 he edited the book “Biomechanics of the Spine: Basic Concepts, Spinal Disorders and Treatments” together with Prof. Hans-Joachim Wilke, published by Elsevier.

Prof. Hans-Joachim Wilke is the Co-Director of the Institute of Orthopaedic Research and Biomechanics of Ulm University, Ulm, Germany, where he is responsible of the spine research group. He has been President of the Spine Society of Europe as well as of the German Spine Society, and is currently co-Editor of European Spine Journal for the basic science papers. Besides, Prof. Wilke is the founder and chairman of the Grammer Award for spine research. He has been involved in several large scale research projects funded by the European Commission.