Lifting up and laying down a weight causes high spinal loads

Forces on a vertebral body replacement during lifting and setting down a weight varied strongly when no precise instructions were given on how to perform the activity. Thus, the measured forces are representative for such activities performed in daily life. This, however, led to wide variations in measured data. Compared to the value for standing, 5 times higher forces were measured for lifting and setting down of weights. This suggests that these activities should be avoided by patients who have spinal problems.