Although in vivo spinal loads have been previously measured, existing data are limited to
certain lumbar and thoracic levels. A detailed investigation of spinal loads would assist with
injury prevention and implant design but is unavailable. In this study, we developed a
complete and coherent musculoskeletal model of the entire human spine and studied the
intervertebral disc compression forces for physiological movements on three anatomical
planes. This model incorporates the individual vertebrae at the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar …