The effect of shear stress on intervertebral disc degeneration and its mechanism

Abstract

Intervertebral disc degeneration （IDD） is a common disease in clinical practice. According to statistics, the incidence of IDD exceeds 90% in the population aged > 60 years old, which severely affect the patients’ normal life and work and bring huge economic burden to the society. Age, genetics, transport of metabolites, trauma and biomechanics are the influencing factors of IDD. Among which, biomechanical factors （pressure, tension, shear force and torsion force） are the important factors affecting IDD. Different force, magnitude and frequency of force and duration of force exert different effects on IDD. In this article, relevant researches on shear force and IDD were briefly summarized, aiming to investigate the effect and mechanism of shear force on the degeneration of intervertebral disc components. The study lays important foundation for further elucidating the pathogenesis of IDD and provides reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Keywords

• |intervertebral disc degeneration|shear force|annulus fibrosus|nucleus pulposus|cartilage endplate