Development of a lumbar facet joint replacement

ii To Jameson and my parents iii We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face…we must do that which we think we cannot. Eleanor Roosevelt iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First, I want to thank my advisor Dr. Nicole Grosland. I would not be where I am without her guidance early in my college career. The insight and encouragement provided throughout the years has made me a better engineer. I am grateful every day for the opportunity that I got to work with her. I would also like to thank my committee members for their input and suggestions. The time required to review and provide suggestions to me was immense and I am grateful. The knowledge that each member provides has improved my research study. I am also grateful of the help that I have received from the MIMX laboratory members. I want to specifically thank Dr. Nicole DeVries and Dr. Nicole Kallemeyn for all the help they gave me while creating and running FE models. I also want to thank Dr. Anup Ghandi and Dr. Swathi Kode. Although my time with them was short, I gained an immense amount of knowledge from them. I also want to thank my parents for their encouragement throughout the years. Their love and support has given me the strength to achieve my dreams and to never settle for an average life. They have made me so happy to be their daughter. Finally, I want to thank my fiancé, Jameson. Although he has challenged me throughout the years, he has made me a better person. I am so blessed to be able to call him my best friend and one day my husband. Figure 2: The posterior view of the facet joint (A) and the horizontal cross-section of the joint (B) Figure 44: Third design iteration contact stress results for metal-on-poly design (A) and metal-on-metal design (B). xi Figure 69: L4-L5 von Mises disc stresses after extension test for intact (A), implanted (B), laminectomy (C) and facetectomy (D). 1 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background and Rationale Approximately 80% of the American population will experience back pain at some point in their lives [1]. Low back pain was cited as the most common type of pain according to a survey conducted by the National Institute of Health Statistics [2]. It has been estimated that back …