Spinal motion segment constant force loading device

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a constant force loading device for a spinal motion segment, comprising: a base; a culture dish placed on the base for in vitro culture of spinal motion segments; a guide shaft extending in the up-down direction, with the lower end fixed to the base; a loading platform located above the culture dish and slidably fitted with the guide shaft; a loading platform located above the loading platform and slidably fitted with the guide shaft, the loading platform being used for placing weights; a pulley mechanism comprising a fixed pulley and a steel wire rope, the fixed pulley being located above the loading platform, the first end of the steel wire rope being detachably connected to the loading platform, and the second end of the steel wire rope being detachably connected to the loading platform; a lower spinal support arranged in the culture dish and fixed relative to the culture dish, for being connected to the lower end of the spinal motion segment; an upper spinal support at least partially arranged in the culture dish and fixed to the loading platform, for being connected to the upper end of the spinal motion segment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of clinical medical experimental instruments, and in particular to a spinal motion segment constant force loading device. Background Art

[0002] At present, there are two main methods for studying the correlation between intervertebral disc degeneration and mechanics. One is to apply external force to the intervertebral disc in vivo and dynamically observe the effect of mechanics on the intervertebral disc in the in vivo environment; the other is to apply external force to the intervertebral disc cells or organs cultured in vitro to study the direct effect of external force on the intervertebral disc tissue.

[0003] However, the current methods have the following shortcomings:

[0004] First, in the first in vivo force application method, since it is difficult to control all biochemical and biomechanical factors in the body, it is not conducive to studying the effects of specific mechanical factors, such as the effects of simple pressure on intervertebral disc degeneration or the effects of simple tension on intervertebral disc degeneration;

[0005] Second, the cell model in another in vitro culture method is usually carried out in a six-well plate, which makes it difficult to observe the influence of mechanics on the model. In addition, due to the loss of the unique extracellular matrix environment, the cell proliferation rate is low, the phenotype is easily lost, and it is difficult to maintain vitality and the interaction between various types of cells. Therefore, the mechanical properties of the cell model are difficult to truly reflect the mechanical properties of the spine, and the results are often not accurate enough;

[0006] 3. In the in vitro culture method, due to the characteristics of the intervertebral disc itself (the central part has an elastic gelatinous nucleus pulposus and the outer part has a fibrous ring composed of multiple layers of fibrous cartilage arranged in concentric circles), when the intervertebral disc organ model is subjected to force in vitro, the force conditions of the spinal motion segments are often quite different from those in vivo. For example, details such as the state of the force-applying surface often have a great impact on the entire force condition, making it difficult to achieve a true simulation of the force conditions of the spine in vivo.

[0007] 4. Currently, there is still a lack of research on the in vitro culture of spinal motion segments and static pressure and tension. Summary of the invention

[0008] The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a constant force loading device for a spinal motion segment, which can meet two different loading requirements of constant tension loading and constant pressure loading.

[0009] In order to achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the present disclosure provides a constant force loading device for a spinal motion segment, comprising: a base; a culture dish placed on the base for in vitro culture of spinal motion segments; a guide shaft extending in the up-down direction, with the lower end fixed to the base; a loading platform located above the culture dish and slidably fitted with the guide shaft; a loading platform located above the loading platform and slidably fitted with the guide shaft, the loading platform being used to place weights; a pulley mechanism comprising a fixed pulley and a steel wire rope wound around the fixed pulley, the fixed pulley being located above the loading platform, the first end of the steel wire rope being detachably connected to the loading platform, and the second end of the steel wire rope being detachably connected to the loading platform; a lower spinal support disposed in the culture dish and fixed relative to the culture dish, for being connected to the lower end of the spinal motion segment; an upper spinal support at least partially disposed in the culture dish and fixed to the loading platform, for being connected to the upper end of the spinal motion segment.

[0010] Optionally, a mounting hole is provided at the bottom of the culture dish, and the lower spine support is connected to the base via a fastener passing through the mounting hole.

[0011] Optionally, the base includes a base body and a culture dish fixing support, the upper surface of the culture dish fixing support is provided with a culture dish positioning groove, a mounting flange is formed around the culture dish fixing support, and the mounting flange is connected to the base body by fasteners.

[0012] Optionally, the loading device further comprises an upper support, the upper end of the guide shaft is fixed to the upper support, and the loading platform and the loading platform are both located between the upper support and the base.

[0013] Optionally, the number of the guide shafts is two and they are symmetrically arranged about the central axis of the culture dish, and the number of the fixed pulleys is two and they are symmetrically arranged about the central axis of the culture dish.

[0014] Optionally, the fixed pulley is mounted on the upper support.

[0015] Optionally, the upper support has a first through hole and a second through hole, the first end of the steel wire rope passes through the first through hole to be connected to the loading platform, and the second end of the steel wire rope passes through the second through hole to be connected to the loading platform.

[0016] Optionally, the upper support is provided with a through hole for avoiding the weight.

[0017] Optionally, a weight positioning groove is formed on the upper surface of the loading platform, the upper spine support is fixed to the lower surface of the loading platform, and the central axis of the weight positioning groove is substantially coincident with the central axis of the upper spine support.

[0018] Optionally, the lower spinal support has a first groove for accommodating the lower end of the spinal motion segment, and the side wall of the first groove is provided with a first group of threaded holes, in which a top screw that can press against the spinal motion segment is provided; the upper spinal support has a second groove for accommodating the upper end of the spinal motion segment, and the side wall of the second groove is provided with a second group of threaded holes, in which a top screw that can press against the spinal motion segment is provided.

[0019] Through the above technical solution, a spinal motion segment constant loading device can be provided, which converts the gravity of the weight into a tension or pressure loaded on the spinal motion segment by changing the connection mode of the loading platform and the loading platform, and can achieve constant force output. The device is simple to operate, can provide constant tension or pressure loading during the in vitro culture of the spinal motion segment, and can be used to study the mechanical properties of the spinal motion segment under different force loadings.

[0020] Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be described in detail in the following detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The accompanying drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure and constitute a part of the specification. Together with the following specific embodiments, they are used to explain the present disclosure but do not constitute a limitation of the present disclosure. In the accompanying drawings:

[0022] Figure 1 is a front view of a spinal motion segment tension-compression integrated loading device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein only a portion of the culture dish is shown;

[0023] Figure 2 is a three-dimensional view of a spinal motion segment tension-compression integrated loading device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein only a portion of the culture dish is shown;

[0024] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a spinal motion segment tension-compression integrated loading device in a constant tension loading mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein only a portion of the culture dish is shown;

[0025] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a spinal motion segment tension-compression integrated loading device in a constant pressure loading mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein only a portion of the culture dish is shown;

[0026] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of a spinal motion segment tension-compression integrated loading device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of a culture dish in a spinal motion segment tension-compression integrated loading device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] Description of Reference Numerals

[0029] 1 first groove of lower spine support 110

[0030] 120 The first set of threaded holes 2 The upper support of the spine

[0031] 210 second groove 220 second set of threaded holes

[0032] 3 guide axes 4 loading platforms

[0033] 5 pulley mechanism 51 fixed pulley

[0034] 52 wire rope 53 pulley seat

[0035] 6 Spinal Motion Segments 7 Weights

[0036] 8 stage 81 weight positioning slot

[0037] 9 Upper support 91 First via hole

[0038] 92 second via hole 93 through hole

[0039] 10 base 101 culture dish fixed support

[0040] 1011 culture dish positioning groove 1012 mounting flange

[0041] 102 base body 11 culture dish

[0042] 111 mounting hole 12 first guide shaft fixing seat

[0043] 13 second guide shaft fixing seat 14 bushing

[0044] 15 Bushing pressure plate 16 Extension tube

[0045] 17 first fastening screw 18 second fastening screw DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] The specific implementation of the present disclosure is described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific implementation described herein is only used to illustrate and explain the present disclosure, and is not used to limit the present disclosure.

[0047] In the present disclosure, unless otherwise stated, directional words such as "upper" and "lower" generally refer to the upper and lower directions of the spinal motion segment tension-compression integrated loading device of the present disclosure under normal use. For details, please refer to the drawing directions of the accompanying drawings.

[0048] See also Figures 1 to 6The spinal motion segment tension and compression integrated loading device disclosed in the present invention includes a base 10, a culture dish 11 (not limited to a culture dish of standard specifications, but can also be any container with the same structure), a lower spinal support 1, an upper spinal support 2, a guide shaft 3, a loading platform 4 and a pulley mechanism 5.

[0049] The spinal motion segment 6 may be a section of the spine having at least two vertebrae, which at least includes upper and lower cartilage end plates, an annulus fibrosus, nucleus pulposus tissue and adjacent vertebrae.

[0050] The culture dish 11 may be disposed on the base 10 . The culture dish 11 has a containing space for placing the spinal motion segment 6 to be cultured in vitro. The outer wall of the culture dish 11 may preferably be made of a transparent material, such as glass, for easy observation.

[0051] refer to Figure 6 The top of the culture dish 11 may have an opening for inserting / removing the lower spinal support 1, the upper spinal support 2 and the spinal motion segment 6.

[0052] The side wall of the culture dish 11 may be provided with a liquid inlet and outlet, and the liquid inlet and outlet is connected to an extension tube 16 extending to the outside of the culture dish 11 for injecting culture liquid into the accommodating space or discharging culture liquid from the accommodating space.

[0053] The subspinal support 1 can be relatively fixedly arranged in the culture dish 11, and can be directly placed on the bottom of the culture dish 11. Specifically, the bottom of the culture dish 11 can be provided with a mounting hole 111, and the subspinal support 1 can be connected to the base 10 via a fastener passing through the mounting hole 111.

[0054] refer to Figure 5 The lower spinal support 1 is connected to the lower end of the spinal motion segment 6. The lower spinal support 1 may have a first groove 110. The lower end of the spinal motion segment 6 is arranged in the first groove 110. The end surface of the lower end of the spinal motion segment 6 abuts against the bottom surface of the first groove 110. The bottom surface of the first groove 110 forms a support for the spinal motion segment 6 to achieve vertical fixation of the spinal motion segment 6 and facilitate vertical loading of the spinal motion segment 6 by external force.

[0055] refer to Figure 2 The side wall of the first groove 110 may be provided with a first group of threaded holes 120, in which a top screw that can abut against the spinal motion segment 6 is provided, so as to further stabilize the vertical fixation of the spinal motion segment 6 and further improve the vertical loading of the spinal motion segment 6 by external force. The first group of threaded holes 120 may be three evenly distributed on the circumference, with an angle of 120° between each other, and the top screws in the three threaded holes abut (slightly abutting against each other can form a positioning) against the middle of the three side surfaces of the lower vertebral body of the spinal motion segment 6, forming a stable positioning.

[0056] refer to Figure 5 The upper spinal support 2 is partially disposed in the culture dish 11 and connected to the upper end of the spinal motion segment 6. The upper spinal support 2 may have a second groove 210, in which the upper end of the spinal motion segment 6 is disposed, and the end surface of the upper end of the spinal motion segment 6 abuts against the bottom surface of the second groove 210. External force is applied to the spinal motion segment 6 through the upper spinal support 2 to achieve vertical fixation of the spinal motion segment 6, and facilitate vertical loading of the spinal motion segment 6 by external force.

[0057] refer to Figure 2 The side wall of the second groove 210 may be provided with a second set of threaded holes 220, in which a top screw capable of abutting the spinal motion segment 6 is provided, so as to further stabilize the vertical fixation of the spinal motion segment 6 and further improve the vertical loading of the spinal motion segment 6 by external force. The second set of threaded holes 220 may also be three evenly distributed on the circumference, with an angle of 120° between each other, and the screws in the three threaded holes 34 abut (a slight abutment can form a positioning) respectively on the middle of the three side surfaces of the upper vertebral body of the spinal motion segment 6 to form a stable positioning.

[0058] The outer wall of the support 2 on the spine can be made into a state where the size is adapted to the inner wall of the culture dish 11, and the inner wall of the culture dish 11 is used to guide the support 2 on the spine during movement.

[0059] refer to Figure 5 The base 10 may include a base body 102 and a culture dish fixing support 101. The upper surface of the culture dish fixing support 101 may be provided with a culture dish positioning groove 1011 for positioning and placing the culture dish 11. A mounting flange 1012 is provided around the culture dish fixing support 101, and the mounting flange 1012 may be connected to the base body 102 by fasteners.

[0060] The two guide shafts 3 can be respectively arranged on both sides of the culture dish positioning groove 1011, and the lower end of each guide shaft 3 can be fixed to the base 10 through the first guide shaft fixing seat 12, and the upper end of each guide shaft 3 can be fixed to the upper support 9 through the second guide shaft fixing seat 13. The first guide shaft fixing seat 12 is connected to the base 10 through a fastener, and the second guide shaft fixing seat 13 is connected to the upper support 9 through a fastener. Each guide shaft fixing seat has a central hole for the guide shaft 3 to pass through, and a locking screw is provided on the side of each guide shaft fixing seat. By rotating the locking screw, the gap between the central hole and the guide shaft 3 can be reduced, thereby achieving the fixing of the guide shaft 3. The two guide shafts 3 can be arranged symmetrically about the central axis of the culture dish 11.

[0061] The loading platform 4 can be arranged between the base 10 and the upper support 9 and can slide up and down along the guide shaft 3. The upper spine support 2 can be fixed to the lower surface of the loading platform 4 facing the culture dish positioning groove 1011 by fasteners.

[0062] The loading platform 8 can be disposed between the loading platform 4 and the upper support 9 and can slide up and down along the guide shaft 3. The loading platform 8 can be substantially parallel to the loading platform 4. The upper surface of the loading platform 8 can be provided with a weight positioning groove 81, and the central axis of the weight positioning groove 81 can substantially coincide with the central axis of the upper support 2 of the spine, so as to ensure vertical loading. The diameter of the weight positioning groove 81 can be the same as the diameter of the weight 7 to ensure the positioning stability of the weight 7.

[0063] refer to Figure 1 The loading platform 4 and the loading platform 8 may be provided with guide holes, respectively, in which bushings 14 are provided, and bushing pressing plates 15 are connected to the loading platform 4 or the loading platform 8 through fasteners, and the bushing pressing plates 15 fix the bushings 14 in the guide holes. The guide shaft 3 passes through the bushings 14, so that the loading platform 4 and the loading platform 8 can slide up and down along the guide shaft 3.

[0064] A through hole 93 may be provided in the middle of the upper support 9 , and the center of the through hole 93 is opposite to the center of the weight positioning groove 81 , so as to avoid the weight 7 placed in the weight positioning groove 81 .

[0065] The pulley mechanism 5 may include a fixed pulley 51, a wire rope 52 and a pulley seat 53. The fixed pulley 51 is located above the loading platform 4. The first end of the wire rope 52 can be detachably connected to the loading platform 8, for example, by a first fastening screw 17. The second end of the wire rope 52 can be detachably connected to the loading platform 4, for example, by a second fastening screw 18. The pulley seat 53 can be installed on the upper support 9 by fasteners.

[0066] refer to Figure 5 In order to make the structure more compact, the upper support 9 can have a first through hole 91 and a second through hole 92, one end of the wire rope 52 passes through the first through hole 91 to be connected to the loading platform 8, and the other end of the wire rope 52 passes through the second through hole 92 to be connected to the loading platform 4.

[0067] The number of the pulley mechanisms 5 may be two or more, and the two or more pulley mechanisms may be symmetrically arranged about the central axis of the culture dish 11 to ensure that the loading platform 4 is evenly stressed.

[0068] The tension-compression integrated loading device disclosed in the present invention can achieve constant pressure loading and constant tension loading on the spinal motion segment.

[0069] Implementation of constant tensile loading: Reference Figure 3, connect the two ends of the wire rope 52 to the stage 8 and the loading platform 4 respectively, place the weight 7 in the weight positioning groove 81, due to gravity, the weight 7 will press down the stage 8, and the pressure is converted into a pulling force on the loading platform 4 through the wire rope 52. The loading platform 4 applies a constant pulling force to the spinal motion segment 6 through the upper spinal support 2 and eliminates the influence of spinal creep, thereby achieving constant tension loading.

[0070] Implementation of constant pressure loading: Reference Figure 4 , remove the wire rope 52 between the loading platform 8 and the loading platform 4, the loading platform 8 falls onto the loading platform 4 due to gravity, and the weight 7 is placed in the weight positioning groove 81. At this time, the gravity of the weight 7 is applied to the spinal motion segment 6 through the upper spinal support 2, forming a constant pressure load on the spinal motion segment.

[0071] In summary, the present disclosure provides a spinal motion segment constant loading device, which converts the gravity of the weight into a tension or pressure loaded on the spinal motion segment by changing the connection mode of the loading platform and the loading platform, and can achieve constant force output. The device is easy to operate, can provide constant tension or pressure loading during the in vitro culture of the spinal motion segment, and can be used to study the mechanical properties of the spinal motion segment under different force loadings.

[0072] The loading device disclosed in the present invention can simultaneously meet two different loading requirements of tension loading and pressure loading. In addition, the loading device disclosed in the present invention can avoid the creep effect of the spinal motion segment caused by long-term stress, and always keep the loading force constant during the loading process.

[0073] The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings; however, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific details in the above embodiments. Within the technical concept of the present disclosure, a variety of simple modifications can be made to the technical solution of the present disclosure, and these simple modifications all fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0074] It should also be noted that the various specific technical features described in the above specific embodiments can be combined in any suitable manner without contradiction. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, the present disclosure will not further describe various possible combinations.

[0075] In addition, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be arbitrarily combined, and as long as they do not violate the concept of the present disclosure, they should also be regarded as the contents disclosed by the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A spinal motion segment constant force loading device, characterized in that: include: Base; A culture dish, placed on the base, for culturing spinal motion segments in vitro; A guide shaft extending in the up-down direction, with the lower end fixed to the base; A loading platform, located above the culture dish and slidably matched with the guide shaft; A loading platform, located above the loading platform and slidably matched with the guide shaft, the loading platform is used to place weights; A pulley mechanism, comprising a fixed pulley and a steel wire rope wound on the fixed pulley, wherein the fixed pulley is located above the loading platform, a first end of the steel wire rope is detachably connected to the loading platform, and a second end of the steel wire rope is detachably connected to the loading platform; A lower spinal support, disposed in the culture dish and fixed relative to the culture dish, for connecting to the lower end of the spinal motion segment; A spinal support, at least partially disposed in the culture dish and fixed to the loading platform, is used to connect with the upper end of the spinal motion segment, The loading device further comprises an upper support, the upper end of the guide shaft is fixed to the upper support, the loading platform and the loading platform are both located between the upper support and the base, and the fixed pulley is mounted on the upper support. The upper support has a first through hole and a second through hole, the first end of the steel wire rope passes through the first through hole to be connected to the loading platform, and the second end of the steel wire rope passes through the second through hole to be connected to the loading platform; The lower spinal support has a first groove for accommodating the lower end of the spinal motion segment, and the side wall of the first groove is provided with a first group of threaded holes, in which a top screw capable of abutting against the spinal motion segment is provided; The spinal support has a second groove for accommodating the upper end of the spinal motion segment. The side wall of the second groove is provided with a second group of threaded holes, in which a top screw capable of abutting against the spinal motion segment is provided.

2. The loading device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the culture dish is provided with a mounting hole, and the lower spine support is connected to the base via a fastener passing through the mounting hole.

3. The loading device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The base comprises a base body and a culture dish fixing support, the upper surface of the culture dish fixing support is provided with a culture dish positioning groove, a mounting flange is formed around the culture dish fixing support, and the mounting flange is connected to the base body through a fastener.

4. The loading device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The guide shafts are two and are symmetrically arranged with respect to the central axis of the culture dish, and the fixed pulleys are two and are symmetrically arranged with respect to the central axis of the culture dish.

5. The loading device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The upper support is provided with a through hole for avoiding the weight.

6. The loading device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A weight positioning groove is formed on the upper surface of the loading platform, the upper spine support is fixed to the lower surface of the loading platform, and the central axis of the weight positioning groove is substantially coincident with the central axis of the upper spine support.

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