Numerical Investigation on Human Knee Joint for Verifying Intactness of Anterior Cruciate Ligament

Abstract

Magnetic resonance image (MRI) of a healthy human knee joint in full extension was considered for this study. A three-Dimensional geometry of the different parts of the healthy human knee joint is generated from the MRI. The geometry is discretized for various element sizes. The load was applied in two cases. In the first case, a 134-N load is applied to the joint in the posterior to the anterior direction for estimating anterior tibial translation (ATT) and the equivalent (Von-Mises) stress distribution in the model. As per the clinical practice, the intactness of ACL is ensured if the ATT is in the range of 3–10 mm. The results obtained from the analysis have ascertained the intactness of ACL in this study. In the second case, a 250 N is applied in the direction of gravity during the standing posture to obtain the equivalent (Von-Mises) stress distribution in the model. This analysis confirmed that the stresses in the joint are in the permissible limit of human endurance.