A model of the human lumbar vertebral column: a preliminary study.

Finite element modelling of the human lumbar vertebral column employs data-processing procedures for study of the linear and nonlinear elasticity of materials such as are currently used in mechanics or in civil engineering. Thanks to developments in computer science, requiring a close collaboration between doctors and engineers, we put forward in this preliminary study a linear computerised model of the lumbar column comprising 4824 meshes and 6813 nodes. By reducing the simplificatory hypotheses and integrating new parameters, this model as developed is capable of important clinical applications in surgery and ergonomics.