We are continuing our collaboration with the Laboratory of Biomechanics of
the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Métiers, UMR CNRS 8005 (Profs Lavaste
and Skalli) within the framework of a project entitled "Conception and
validation of a biomechanical muscle model of the cervical spine: An aid in the
analysis of cervical spine dysfunction." This project is financed by the AFM
under the responsibility of Professors Saillant and Portero. This research
programme should provide quantitative data for the evaluation of different
therapies in cervical dysfunctions, but also the evaluation of the progression
of neuromuscular pathologies in order to understand them better.
The main objective consists of constructing a model of the cervical spine
muscles which will allow the muscle mechanism/vertebral mechanism interactions
to be studied. With this entirely adjustable tool, we will be able to:
- define normal muscle profiles with the levels of intervertebral effort
associated with them, and thus study how a pathology or a muscle specificity has
an influence on the efforts in the cervical spine. Also, this model will allow
the study of the relations between a posture defect, the muscle regulation
necessary to maintain the sensorial organs of the head in an optimum position,
and the overloads of the intervertebral discs.
- evaluate the influence of the muscle system in cervical spine protection,
whether for traumatic or degenerative reasons.
- adapt existing tools (for the dorsolumbar region) to the cervical region in
order to be able to propose a geometrically and mechanically personalised study
to any given patient.
With these tools, we will be able to obtain 3-dimensional personalised muscle
geometry, calculate the maximum physiological areas associated with each muscle
model, from isometric effort measurement determine maximum admissible
constraints in each muscle, reconstruct the tri-dimensional bone geometries with
scanner-level precision while exposing patients only to very low radiation
levels (stereoradiography).
Personalised 3-D muscle reconstruction of the cervical spine
muscles : left, front view ; right, lateral view.
The originality of this project lies in the complementary nature of the
approaches and the fields of expertise specific to the Institute of Myology
(muscle physiology, expertise in the cervical function) and to the Laboratory of
Biomechanics of ENSAM (osteo-articular biomechanics, muscular, finite element
modelling). This transversal fundamental approach will lead to potential
applications in several fields, particularly in medicine (neuromuscular
diseases, orthopaedics, traumatology, rheumatology and forensic medical
expertise) and in ergonomics and comfort (automobile and aeronautics).
