The 2017 IET SA/NT PATW presentations given by each of the young professionals were well prepared and entertaining. A summary synopsis of each presentation is provided with a relatively low-quality video of the presentation.
The title of Dhara's presentation was "Mythbusting Slipped Discs". Lumbar disc prolapse occurs more frequently in those who are engaged in repetitive lifting, and is the cause of sciatica, radiating pain down the back and the legs, due to an impingement on the spinal cord. The injury is thought to occur over time, as highly repetitive (sub-failure) stresses are created within the disc leading to a gradual disc prolapse. These stresses are further aggravated by improper lifting technique which can include, straight knees, holding the load far away from the body and twisting. However, the mechanism for herniation under repetitive load is still unclear. Reproduction of gradual herniation in a laboratory setting has proven difficult. There are limitations regarding the application of realistic loading using materials testing systems. Internal measurement of disc tissue deformations can provide detailed information on the initiation and propagation of disc injury. This presentation discusses the relationship between combined repetitive bending and twisting movements, and the progression of three-dimensional internal disc deformation during loading, which may lead to disc prolapse and macroscopic tissue damage.
