CONTEXT Injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) occur because of excessive loading on the knee. ACL injury prevention programs can influence sagittal plane ACL loading factors and vertical ground reaction force (VGRF). OBJECTIVE To determine the influence of ACL injury prevention programs on sagittal plane knee biomechanics (anterior tibial shear force, knee flexion angle/moments) an...

STUDY DESIGN A biomechanical study using human spine specimens. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess whether the presence of cervical sagittal imbalance is an independent risk factor for increasing the mechanical burden on discs adjacent to cervical multilevel fusions. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA The horizontal offset distance between the C2 plumbline and C7 vertebral body (C2-C7 Sa...

BACKGROUND A classification of lumbosacral spondylolisthesis has been proposed recently. This classification describes eight distinct types of spondylolisthesis based on the slip grade, the degree of dysplasia, and the sagittal sacro-pelvic balance. The objectives of this study are to assess the reliability of this classification and to propose a new and refined classification. METHODS Standi...

The sagittal balance plays an important role in the determination of shear and compressive forces applied on the anterior (vertebral bodies and intervertebral discs) and posterior (facet joints) elements of the lumbar vertebral column. Many studies have also examined the effect of structural changes in the disc on the biomechanical characteristics of the spinal segment. Nevertheless, the relati...

In this paper we present a mechanical apparatus and methods named BalanceReTrainer for standing-balance training in neurologically impaired individuals. BalanceReTrainer provides an impaired individual with a fall-safe balancing environment, where the balancing efforts of a standing individual are augmented by stabilizing forces acting at the level of pelvis in the sagittal and frontal planes o...

Treatment of spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis remains a challenge for orthopaedic surgeons, neurosurgeons and paediatrics. In spondylolisthesis, it has been clearly demonstrated over the past decade that spino-pelvic morphology is abnormal and that it can be associated to an abnormal sacro-pelvic orientation as well as to a disturbed global sagittal balance of spine. This article presents th...