Week 5- Brandon

Week 5 was interesting, the research projects are going in full effect. The most slowly moving of the projects is the intradiscal pressure project. We have a few rat surgeries coming up during week 6, so we will be taking pressure measurements then. A concern we have for this week is whether or not the equipment will work in the necessary capacity. Since the setup is used primarily for arterial pressure measurements, we are unsure as to what range the transducer is capable of. Also, we are anticipating a somewhat dynamic load regime throughout testing, rather than the cyclic continuous loading of arterial function. I am excited to see if the system works, since having this system will allows us to add another metric of mechanical analysis to our intervertebral disc analysis. The literature review on cracking joints has yielded interesting results. Curiosity about the cracking joint phenomenon came about during clinical visits where patients would notice the cracking. There was a direct link between this project and clinical observations and experiences. I am looking forward to continuing my research on the topic. The MRI vs X-Ray validation study is moving along well, I am taking my time with it since is fairly straightforward and I want to make sure I see as many surgeries as possible before leaving and get as far as I can with the pressure transducer work. I went to both days of clinic again this week, it is becoming my favorite time during the week because the diagnostic process is interesting, and free food is fun too. I am getting better at reading films and recognizing spinal problems which is exciting. I got an MRI of my lumbar spine which, in my expert opinion, looks pretty good. No herniated discs or stenosis but possibly some bulging. It was blurry, most likely because I moved too much breathing.

Earlier during the week we had a conference call with my lab in Ithaca to discuss the upcoming rat surgeries and a few other projects. This was good for me since it put the disc height study in context and set up expectations for the upcoming week. It was also nice to hear from everyone again. I am looking forward to the next few weeks, not because the program is ending, but because there is a great deal going on in my research and possibly some interesting surgical cases.