Epidemiological studies Suggest that repetitive loading, including vibration, is of importance in the development of back injuries including disc injuries. Yet the present information from the literature does not allow dose-response relationships to be developed, thereby making it challenging to develop accurate guidelines for prevention of occupational musculoskeletal disorders of the spine. Biomechanical response of individual motion segments as a function of applied load frequency may provide data on the ability of the disc to withstand prolonged cyclic loading. The hypothesis of the current study is that the rate of decrease in disc stiffness at the end of 30 loading cycles increases suddenly if the frequency of compressive loading is greater than 15 Hz. A finite element model was used for this study.
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