ProDisc cervical arthroplasty does not alter facet joint contact pressure during lateral bending or axial torsion.

Study Design: A biomechanical study of facet joint pressure after total disc replacement using cadaveric human cervical spines during lateral bending and axial torsion.

Objective: The goal was to measure the contact pressure in the facet joint in cadaveric human cervical spines subjected to physiologic lateral bending and axial torsion before and after implantation of a ProDisc-C implant.

Summary Of Background Data: Changes in facet biomechanics can damage the articular cartilage in the joint, potentially leading to degeneration and painful arthritis.

Facet joint contact pressure is not significantly affected by ProDisc cervical disc arthroplasty in sagittal bending: a single-level cadaveric study.

Background Context: Total disc arthroplasty is a motion-preserving spinal procedure that has been investigated for its impact on spinal motions and adjacent-level degeneration. However, the effects of disc arthroplasty on facet joint biomechanics remain undefined despite the critical role of these posterior elements on guiding and limiting spinal motion.

Purpose: The goal was to measure the pressure in the facet joint in cadaveric human cervical spines subjected to sagittal bending before and after implantation of the ProDisc-C (Synthes Spine Company, L.

Whiplash-like facet joint loading initiates glutamatergic responses in the DRG and spinal cord associated with behavioral hypersensitivity.

The cervical facet joint and its capsule are a common source of neck pain from whiplash. Mechanical hyperalgesia elicited by painful facet joint distraction is associated with spinal neuronal hyperexcitability that can be induced by transmitter/receptor systems that potentiate the synaptic activation of neurons. This study investigated the temporal response of a glutamate receptor and transporters in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and spinal cord.