Abstract
The purpose of this study was to create a kinematic model of the knee joint with six degrees of freedom (DOF) and evaluate the effect of medial collateral ligament (MCL) and lateral collateral ligament (LCL) rupture on cartilage contact point distribution on the tibia during flexion. We hypothesized that collateral ligament contributions vary over six DOF of knee joint articulation and affect the cartilage contact point distribution during joint articulation. The ligament contributions and distribution of joint cartilage contact points cannot be fully assessed with simplified joint models or invasive experiments. Therefore, we developed a new model in which the tibia and femur centers of mass were determined from their surface geometry, and the displacement of the moving tibia was determined from the displacements of the attached ligaments. Compared to the intact knee, the tibia with the LCL removed had higher medial translation and lower valgus rotation. The tibia with the MCL removed had higher lateral translation and higher valgus rotation than the intact knee. At 0[Formula: see text], 30[Formula: see text], and 60[Formula: see text], the tibia with the LCL removed had more internal rotation than the intact knee. Understanding six DOF knee joint kinematics with integration of ligament contributions and cartilage contact positions is useful for the diagnosis of ligament injuries and the design of articulating surfaces for total arthroplasty.
Highlights
IntroductionA vast number of biomechanical studies have been performed to better understand the complete kinematics and contact mechanics of anatomical and artificial knee joints
A vast number of biomechanical studies have been performed to better understand the complete kinematics and contact mechanics of anatomical and artificial knee joints. This has contributed to improvements in our understanding of normal and pathological joint kinematics and contact mechanics and has helped in the development of replacement implants that mimic native knee joint kinematics
We find that calculating the center of mass of intact and artificial bones distinguishes the effect of geometry in joint kinematics and cartilage contact positions
Summary
A vast number of biomechanical studies have been performed to better understand the complete kinematics and contact mechanics of anatomical and artificial knee joints. This has contributed to improvements in our understanding of normal and pathological joint kinematics and contact mechanics and has helped in the development of replacement implants that mimic native knee joint kinematics. This is an Open Access article published by World Scientific Publishing Company.
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