Concept Development of a New Lumbar Intervertebral Disk Implant

Worldwide spinal cord injury incidence is rising, due to spikes in traffic incidences, violence and an increase in ageing population, prone to injuries. To satisfy an expanding market, a wide variety of spinal implantable devices are available. The current study develops a new concept for a lumbar intervertebral disk implant which addresses the disadvantages of current commercialised devices. The proposed intervertebral disk implant concept limits the anatomical movements of the trunk, replicating the functions of a natural intervertebral disk. Three concept variations were designed and evaluated using FEA simulations for three main operating hypotheses: Compression of vertebrae in normal upright position; Lifting weights at a correct and at an incorrect angle; Shock in the lumbar region. Von Misses stress, URES: Resultant Displacement and ESTRN: Equivalent Strain studies were used to evaluate the capability of the intervertebral disk implant concept to withstand the design load. Concept 3 failed URES and ESTRN simulations for the hypotheses which involved lifting weights and delivering a shock in the lumbar region. Simulation revealed optimum results for Concept 1, which was selected for further research.