A Study of Effects of Age and Hyperkyphosis on Spine Motion and Loading
- Conditions
- Vertebral FractureKyphosis
- Interventions
- Procedure: Near-infrared passive motion capture recording
- Registration Number
- NCT03008902
- Lead Sponsor
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- Brief Summary
We are studying how spine movement changes with age, and when people have vertebral fractures (cracks in the bones of the spine) or hyperkyphosis (a forward stooped posture).
- Detailed Description
The purpose of this study is to obtain unique measures of thoracic spinal motion in young, older, and hyperkyphotic older adults. We will then develop unique subject-specific musculoskeletal models of these individuals to estimate loads applied to the vertebrae in vivo, and examine how spinal motion and loading vary with age and increased kyphosis.
Vertebral fractures (VFs) are the most common type of fracture in older adults, occurring in 20-35% of women and 15-25% of men over the age of 50, and are associated with significant morbidity, increased mortality, and annual costs exceeding $1 billion in the United States. However, limited understanding of the mechanisms (beyond low vertebral bone mineral density and strength) that lead to VFs hinders our ability to predict and prevent these injuries.
Similarly, hyperkyphosis, defined as excess forward curvature of the thoracic spine, is suffered by 20-40% of older adults, but its causes are poorly understood and it has no standard clinical treatment. Hyperkyphosis and VFs are inter-related, as individuals with VFs often have worse kyphosis, while hyperkyphosis is an independent risk factor for future VFs. Hyperkyphosis may increase VF risk through increased vertebral loading, but better understanding is needed of the biomechanics of this common spine condition.
VFs occur more often at mid-thoracic (T7-T8) and thoraco-lumbar (T12-L1) vertebrae than elsewhere in the spine, and it has been suggested that biomechanical factors predispose these areas to fracture by increasing vertebral loading. In the first phase of this project, a novel musculoskeletal model was developed that uniquely predicts peaks in vertebral loading around the T12-L1 region of the spine, but this was not observed in the mid-thoracic region. Our preliminary data suggested that increased thoracic stiffness causes greater vertebral loading at mid-thoracic levels (T7-T9), while increased thoracic kyphosis increases vertebral loading, particularly in the thoraco-lumbar (T12-L1) region.
Further advances in musculoskeletal modeling will are needed to fully evaluate these possibilities, but a particular knowledge gap remains regarding the in vivo kinematics of the thoracic spine and ribcage in both healthy and hyperkyphotic individuals. This project aims to fill that gap by producing novel in vivo measurements of thoracic spine motion in young, older, and hyperkyphotic older adults.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- COMPLETED
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 41
Not provided
Not provided
Study & Design
- Study Type
- OBSERVATIONAL
- Study Design
- Not specified
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Patients Near-infrared passive motion capture recording Patients, who have been seen at BIDMC for vertebral fractures or hyperkyphosis, will be identified by review of medical records as described in B3C and B6 below. The patient group will consist of 32 adults ages 75 and older who have previously been diagnosed with a thoracic vertebral fracture at BIDMC. Non-patients Near-infrared passive motion capture recording Non-patients, who have not had vertebral fractures or hyperkyphosis, and have not been seen at BIDMC, will be recruited from the community as described in section B3C and B6 below. The non-patient group will consist of 16 healthy adults ages 18-40.
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Thoracic spine range of motion, in degrees. Day 1 Full body movement will be recorded during subject movements using near infrared passive motion capture. This procedure is non-invasive and standard practice in biomechanics labs. Passive reflective marker clusters will be attached to subjects along the spine at T1, T4, T5, T8, T9, T12, L1, and additional markers will be applied to the manubrium of the sternum, head, pelvis, and extremities. Marker positions during subject movements will be recorded with sub-millimeter accuracy using an eight-camera system from Vicon Motion Systems (Centennial, CO). Recorded marker positions will be applied to a musculoskeletal model of the subject through an inverse kinematics algorithm in order to provide estimates of thoracic spine angular range of motion in flexion-extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation during each subject movement.
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
🇺🇸Boston, Massachusetts, United States