Relationship between lordosis and the position of the centre of reaction of the spinal disc.
Whenever we stand upright in apparent static equilibrium, we are, in fact, continuously making minor adjustments in order to maintain our balance. For each intervertebral joint, a point must exist at which all moments applied to the joint are continually and dynamically balanced. This point, known as the centre of reaction, is a mathematical invention necessary to perform analyses of spinal motion, but which need not be associated with any real anatomical structure. As the spine flexes and extends, this centre is expected to move; where it moves and the rationale for its motion is worthy of enquiry. In this paper, we propose that the centre of reaction remains confined to the nucleus of the disc, but only if one simple but crucial assumption is made; that the motion of the spine and control of its musculature maintain a minimum and equal stress at each intervertebral joint. This is a simple hypothesis which imposes a very specific relationship between lordosis and the centre of reaction. We investigate this relationship and its consequences on the teaching of lifting. The impossibility of designing experiments adequately to verify this hypothesis prevents in vivo verification, and, therefore, the model's verification must be made through the inferred consequences. For example, the capability of correctly predicting physiological responses of the musculoskeletal system is an indication of the validity of a model; however, this is not universally accepted. In this particular case, additional experimental data are available in the form of the locus of the centre of rotation of a vertebra vis-à-vis its lower neighbour as the spine flexes and extends. It is instructive to compare the predicted locus of the centre of reaction to experimentally determined locus of the centre of rotation; more than just coincidental similarities are found.