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. 2022 Aug 13;23(1):772.
doi: 10.1186/s12891-022-05684-0.

Cervical spine and muscle adaptation after spaceflight and relationship to herniation risk: protocol from 'Cervical in Space' trial

Daniel L Belavy  1 , Gabriele Armbrecht  2 , Kirsten Albracht  3   4 , Helena Brisby  5 , Deborah Falla  6 , Richard Scheuring  7 , Roope Sovelius  8 , Hans-Joachim Wilke  9 , Kajsa Rennerfelt  10 , Eduardo Martinez-Valdes  6 , Michail Arvanitidis  6 , Fabian Goell  4 , Bjoern Braunstein  4   11 , Svenja Kaczorowski  12 , Vera Karner  12 , Nitin Kumar Arora  12
Affiliations

Cervical spine and muscle adaptation after spaceflight and relationship to herniation risk: protocol from 'Cervical in Space' trial

Daniel L Belavy et al. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. .

Abstract

Background: Astronauts have a higher risk of cervical intervertebral disc herniation. Several mechanisms have been attributed as causative factors for this increased risk. However, most of the previous studies have examined potential causal factors for lumbar intervertebral disc herniation only. Hence, we aim to conduct a study to identify the various changes in the cervical spine that lead to an increased risk of cervical disc herniation after spaceflight.

Methods: A cohort study with astronauts will be conducted. The data collection will involve four main components: a) Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); b) cervical 3D kinematics; c) an Integrated Protocol consisting of maximal and submaximal voluntary contractions of the neck muscles, endurance testing of the neck muscles, neck muscle fatigue testing and questionnaires; and d) dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) examination. Measurements will be conducted at several time points before and after astronauts visit the International Space Station. The main outcomes of interest are adaptations in the cervical discs, muscles and bones.

Discussion: Astronauts are at higher risk of cervical disc herniation, but contributing factors remain unclear. The results of this study will inform future preventive measures for astronauts and will also contribute to the understanding of intervertebral disc herniation risk in the cervical spine for people on Earth. In addition, we anticipate deeper insight into the aetiology of neck pain with this research project.

Trial registration: German Clinical Trials Register, DRKS00026777. Registered on 08 October 2021.

Keywords: Astronaut; Atrophy; Disc prolapse; Microgravity; Prolapse; Vertebrae.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Overview of Measurement Protocol
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Sample marker set to determine the three-dimensional coordinate system for head and trunk segments and to calculate the helical axis of rotation. Depending on the position of the cameras in the room, the marker set needs to be adjusted and may differ slightly from the image (The images are original pictures taken by the team)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Electrode position over the participant’s A) sternocleidomastoid, B) splenius capitis and upper trapezius (The images are original pictures taken by the team)
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Experimental setup for high-density EMG-force tests. a Neck flexion contractions, b neck extension contractions and c shoulder shrug contractions (The images are original pictures taken by the team)
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
a Placement of probes, b Image of example data trace. X-axis: time. Y-axis: local muscle oxygen saturation in percent. 1: Baseline values are recorded for 120 sec. 2: 2 minutes extension exercise. 3: Resting 10 seconds. 4: 2 minutes extension, 5: Recovery phase and hyperaemia (The images are original pictures taken by the team)
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Example image of DXA cervical spine scan with regions of interest traced. Note that “1”, “2”, “3”, “4” refer, respectively to C3, C4, C5 and C6
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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References

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