ISSN: 2044-9038 (Print) 2044-9046 (Electronic)

Clinical Practice

Spinal Disorders Open Access Journals

Spinal disorders thanks to trauma, pathology, or normal aging can compromise the standard of life. The structure and performance of the spine are unique and really complex. The intervertebral disk (IVD) plays a crucial role within the biomechanics of the spine since its mechanical function leads to absorbing shock and distributing axial loads whilst providing flexibility. For this reason, the IVD degeneration could also be considered one among the foremost common causes of low back pain. Indeed, the progressive degeneration usually provides a loss of water and a consequent loss of disc height. Thus the annulus fibrous and ligaments result pretensioned, creating a mechanically unstable environment which can cause a spinal degenerative cascade. Albeit good short-term clinical results are obtained through fusion for traumatic and degenerative spinal disorders, long-term studies have shown an alteration within the spine stability. So as to beat these problems, a man-made IVD has been proposed as an alternate to fusion. Consequently, several models of IVD prosthesis are developed to revive the traditional kinematics and load-sharing properties of the natural IVD. Over the past years, metals, ceramics, and polymers are widely involved in designing interbody fusion devices and IVD prostheses. Due to their ability to mimic the structure and therefore the mechanical properties of natural tissues, polymer-based composite biomaterials are developed to beat the drawbacks associated with the utilization of conventional materials.    

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