Development and Validation of a Whole Human Body Finite Element Model with Detailed Lumbar Spine

OBJECTIVE: Investigations showed that low back pain of occupational drivers might be closely related to the whole-body vibration. Restricted by ethical concerns, the finite element method had become a viable alternative to invasive human experiments. Many mechanical behaviors of the human spine inside of the human body were unclear; therefore, a human whole-body finite element model might be required to better understand the lumbar behavior under whole-body vibration. METHODS: In this study, a human whole-body finite element model with a detailed lumbar spine segment was developed. Several validations were performed to ensure the correctness of this model. RESULTS: The results of anthropometry and geometry validation, static validation, and dynamic validation were presented in this study. The validation results showed that the whole human body model was reasonable and valid by comparing with published data. CONCLUSIONS: The model developed in this study could reflect the biomechanical response of the human lumbar spine under vibration and could be used in further vibration analysis and offer proposals for protecting human body under whole-body vibration environment.