Total Contact Force Research Articles

Influence of the Level of Muscular Redundancy on the Validity of a Musculoskeletal Model.

While recent literature has clearly demonstrated that an extensive personalization of the musculoskeletal models was necessary to reach high accuracy, several components of the generic models may be further investigated before defining subject-specific parameters. Among others, the choice in muscular geometry and thus the level of muscular redundancy in the model may have a noticeable influence on the predicted musculotendon and joint contact forces. In this context, the aim of this study was to investigate if the level of muscular redundancy can contribute or not to reduce inaccuracies in tibiofemoral contact forces predictions. For that, the dataset disseminated through the Sixth Grand Challenge Competition to Predict In Vivo Knee Loads was applied to a versatile 3D lower limb musculoskeletal model in which two muscular geometries (i.e., two different levels of muscular redundancy) were implemented. This dataset provides tibiofemoral implant measurements for both medial and lateral compartments and thus allows evaluation of the validity of the model predictions. The results suggest that an increase of the level of muscular redundancy corresponds to a better accuracy of total tibiofemoral contact force whatever the gait pattern investigated. However, the medial and lateral contact forces ratio and accuracy were not necessarily improved when increasing the level of muscular redundancy and may thus be attributed to other parameters such as the location of contact points. To conclude, the muscular geometry, among other components of the generic model, has a noticeable impact on joint contact forces predictions and may thus be correctly chosen even before trying to personalize the model.

Contribution of individual musculo-tendon forces to the axial compression force of the femur during normal gait

Recent musculoskeletal models allow the investigation of the contribution of individual musculo-tendon forces to the locomotion dynamics. However, most of the studies are based on a forward dynamics with a high computational cost and have principally investigated the contribution to the ground reaction forces and the centre of mass acceleration. The aim of this study was to apply a pseudo-inverse method to a musculoskeletal model that includes the contact, ligament and bone forces. The results replicated well the literature for the contributions of individual musculo-tendon forces to both the vertical ground reaction force and the total tibiofemoral contact force, and provide new insights for the axial compression force of the femur during normal gait.

Changes in tibiofemoral contact forces during running in response to in-field gait retraining

ABSTRACTWe evaluated the efficacy of an in-field gait retraining programme using mobile biofeedback to reduce cumulative and peak tibiofemoral loads during running. Thirty runners were randomised to either a retraining group or control group. Retrainers were asked to increase their step rate by 7.5% over preferred in response to real-time feedback provided by a wrist mounted running computer for 8 routine in-field runs. An inverse dynamics driven musculoskeletal model estimated total and medial tibiofemoral joint compartment contact forces. Peak and impulse per step total tibiofemoral contact forces were immediately reduced by 7.6% and 10.6%, respectively (P < 0.001). Similarly, medial tibiofemoral compartment peak and impulse per step tibiofemoral contact forces were reduced by 8.2% and 10.6%, respectively (P < 0.001). Interestingly, no changes were found in knee adduction moment measures. Post gait retraining, reductions in medial tibiofemoral compartment peak and impulse per step tibiofemoral contact force were still present (P < 0.01). At the 1-month post-retraining follow-up, these reductions remained (P < 0.05). With these per stance reductions in tibiofemoral contact forces in mind, cumulative tibiofemoral contact forces did not change due to the estimated increase in number of steps to run 1 km.

Alterations in knee contact forces and centers in stance phase of gait: A detailed lower extremity musculoskeletal model

Evaluation of contact forces-centers of the tibiofemoral joint in gait has crucial biomechanical and pathological consequences. It involves however difficulties and limitations in in vitro cadaver and in vivo imaging studies. The goal is to estimate total contact forces (CF) and location of contact centers (CC) on the medial and lateral plateaus using results computed by a validated finite element model simulating the stance phase of gait for normal as well as osteoarthritis, varus-valgus and posterior tibial slope altered subjects. Using foregoing contact results, six methods commonly used in the literature are also applied to estimate and compare locations of CC at 6 periods of stance phase (0%, 5%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%).TF joint contact forces are greater on the lateral plateau very early in stance and on the medial plateau thereafter during 25–100% stance periods. Large excursions in the location of CC (>17mm), especially on the medial plateau in the mediolateral direction, are computed. Various reported models estimate quite different CCs with much greater variations (~15mm) in the mediolateral direction on both plateaus. Compared to our accurately computed CCs taken as the gold standard, the centroid of contact area algorithm yielded least differences (except in the mediolateral direction on the medial plateau at ~5mm) whereas the contact point and weighted center of proximity algorithms resulted overall in greatest differences. Large movements in the location of CC should be considered when attempting to estimate TF compartmental contact forces in gait.

Dynamic analysis of mechanical systems with planar revolute joints with clearance

Clearances in mechanical joints are unavoidable due to many uncertainties such as manufacturing tolerances, assemblage, wear, and material deformation. The dynamic characteristics of mechanical systems are greatly affected by the joint clearances during the contact process. Thus, a proper contact force model plays a key role in simulating the overall performance of the mechanical systems. In this paper, a hybrid contact force model is described, which is based on the Lankarani–Nikravesh contact force model and the elastic foundation model. The discrete element theory and Gaussian quadrature are utilized to analyze and simulate the contact process. By distributing the non-uniform bearing points over the pin surface and calculating the penetration of each point individually, the total contact force can be obtained by integrating the discrete ones in the contact area. Some comparisons with the Lankarani–Nikravesh model indicate that the hybrid model is more effective for small clearance and low restitution coefficient situations. Finally, comparison of dynamic characteristics between the numerical simulation results and experimental ones for a revolute clearance joint in the slider–crank mechanism is employed to validate the hybrid model.

Effect of component mal-rotation on knee loading in total knee arthroplasty using multi-body dynamics modeling under a simulated walking gait.

Mal-rotation of the components in total knee arthorplasty (TKA) is a major cause of postoperative complications, with an increased propensity for implant loosening or wear leading to revision. A musculoskeletal multi-body dynamics model was used to perform a parametric study of the effects of the rotational mal-alignments in TKA on the knee loading under a simulated walking gait. The knee contact forces were found to be more sensitive to variations in the varus-valgus rotation of both the tibial and the femoral components and the internal-external rotation of the femoral component in TKA. The varus-valgus mal-rotation of the tibial or femoral component and the internal-external mal-rotation of the femoral component with a 5° variation were found to affect the peak medial contact force by 17.8-53.1%, the peak lateral contact force by 35.0-88.4% and the peak total contact force by 5.2-18.7%. Our findings support the clinical observations that a greater than 3° internal mal-rotation of the femoral component may lead to unsatisfactory pain levels and a greater than 3° varus mal-rotation of the tibial component may lead to medial bone collapse. These findings determined the quantitative effects of the mal-rotation of the components in TKA on the contact load. The effect of such mal-rotation of the components of TKA on the kinematics would be further addressed in future studies.

A novel analytical approach for determining the frictional moments and torques acting on modular femoral components in total hip replacements

A three dimensional analytical approach was developed to determine the frictional moment vector generated by the relative sliding of the head-cup bearing couple of a total hip replacement. The frictional moment projection onto the femoral neck was also determined over the loading cycle. Predicted frictional moments for nine combinations of bearing materials and diameters were in close agreement with existing in vitro data. The analytical method was then applied to simplified gait (lubrication conditions of dry and serum), ISO standard gait and physiological level gait loading cycles. ISO standard gait had a total contact force of about two fold of physiological level gait and there was a corresponding increase in the maximum frictional torque on neck from 0.66×BW%m to 0.88×BW%m. For the ISO standard gait, the maximum frictional torque occurred at the same instance of maximum frictional moment and the maximum contact force. In contrast, for the physiological level gait, the frictional torque did not occur at the same instance as the peak load. This suggests that the neck frictional torque is a function of other parameters, such as angle between neck axis and frictional moment vector, as well as the magnitude of the contact force and frictional moment. The developed methodology was able to predict the maximum magnitude and change of directions of moments and the variation of torque at the head neck interface. The data will be useful for experimental studies assessing the fretting behaviour of the head neck junction, by providing appropriate loading data.

A subject-specific musculoskeletal modeling framework to predict in vivo mechanics of total knee arthroplasty.

Musculoskeletal (MS) models should be able to integrate patient-specific MS architecture and undergo thorough validation prior to their introduction into clinical practice. We present a methodology to develop subject-specific models able to simultaneously predict muscle, ligament, and knee joint contact forces along with secondary knee kinematics. The MS architecture of a generic cadaver-based model was scaled using an advanced morphing technique to the subject-specific morphology of a patient implanted with an instrumented total knee arthroplasty (TKA) available in the fifth "grand challenge competition to predict in vivo knee loads" dataset. We implemented two separate knee models, one employing traditional hinge constraints, which was solved using an inverse dynamics technique, and another one using an 11-degree-of-freedom (DOF) representation of the tibiofemoral (TF) and patellofemoral (PF) joints, which was solved using a combined inverse dynamic and quasi-static analysis, called force-dependent kinematics (FDK). TF joint forces for one gait and one right-turn trial and secondary knee kinematics for one unloaded leg-swing trial were predicted and evaluated using experimental data available in the grand challenge dataset. Total compressive TF contact forces were predicted by both hinge and FDK knee models with a root-mean-square error (RMSE) and a coefficient of determination (R2) smaller than 0.3 body weight (BW) and equal to 0.9 in the gait trial simulation and smaller than 0.4 BW and larger than 0.8 in the right-turn trial simulation, respectively. Total, medial, and lateral TF joint contact force predictions were highly similar, regardless of the type of knee model used. Medial (respectively lateral) TF forces were over- (respectively, under-) predicted with a magnitude error of M &lt; 0.2 (respectively &gt; -0.4) in the gait trial, and under- (respectively, over-) predicted with a magnitude error of M &gt; -0.4 (respectively &lt; 0.3) in the right-turn trial. Secondary knee kinematics from the unloaded leg-swing trial were overall better approximated using the FDK model (average Sprague and Geers' combined error C = 0.06) than when using a hinged knee model (C = 0.34). The proposed modeling approach allows detailed subject-specific scaling and personalization and does not contain any nonphysiological parameters. This modeling framework has potential applications in aiding the clinical decision-making in orthopedics procedures and as a tool for virtual implant design.

Effects of mechanical and geometrical properties of adhesive and metal layers on low-velocity impact behavior of metal laminate structures

In this study, the effects of mechanical and geometrical properties of the adhesive layers and mechanical properties of the metal layers on low-velocity impact behavior of adhesively bonded metal laminates (ABML) were investigated. The contact force, the transverse displacement, the contact duration, and the dissipated energy were considered as the main structure responses under impact loading. To study the effects of mechanical and geometrical properties of adhesive layers on low-velocity impact behavior of ABML, two different adhesive materials and two different adhesive thicknesses were considered. The results showed that the contact force was more depended on the adhesive thickness and nearly unaffected by the adhesive material, whereas the dissipated energy was more depended on the adhesive material rather than the adhesive thickness in case the overall structure thickness was remained fixed. To determine the effects of material parameters of the metal layers including the yield stress, the elastic modulus, the density, and the tangent modulus on the impact behavior of ABML, finite element analyses were carried out. The results showed that increasing the number of metal layers in a constant total thickness caused decrease of the total contact force and increase of the contact duration and transverse displacement of the structure due to more widespread plastic deformation occurred in the layers. The material yield stress and Young’s modulus were the most influencing material parameters on the mechanical behavior of ABML under low-velocity impact loading. The finite element models were well validated against the experimental and numerical results.

The Force Chains and Dynamic States of Granular Flow Lubrication

The distribution probability of contact force, force chain evolution law, dynamic states, and the force chain distribution characteristics for granular flow lubrication are researched. In order to study the above contents, a granular flow lubrication model of parallel sliding friction pairs basing on the discrete element method is built. The results show that the normal contact force, tangential contact force, and total contact force are all consistent with the power law, and the granular flow is mainly influenced by the normal contact force. When the lower friction pair speed increases from 1.5, 4.5, to 15 m/s, the dynamic behavior of granules can transform into four flow states: a jamming state, quasistatic flow, slow flow, and rapid flow. Under the four flow states, the magnitude of the total force chains is higher in the jamming, quasistatic flow, and slow flow state but lower in the rapid flow state. In the process of the granule dynamic flow state changing from a rapid flow state, to a slow flow state, to a quasistatic flow state, the number of weak force chains decrease notably, whereas the number of strong force chains and super strong force chains increases; in addition, the flow speed of the granular lubrication medium and the deconstruction and reconstruction speed of the force chains will obviously slow down.

Insight from direct in vivo measurements on the force distribution across the human knee in flexion: can it be modified, and can the internal loads be predicted from external measurements?

Purpose: An understanding of the medio-lateral distribution of the tibiofemoral (TF) contact forces and the factors influencing this distribution is essential for the targeted development and evaluation of interventions aiming to influence the progression of osteoarthritis. Mechanical models of the human knee have provided a basic understanding of the load distribution at the joint, suggesting a strong correlation between frontal plane alignment and medial loading during walking, when the knee is loaded in a rather extended position. The results obtained here are, however, sensitive to the many assumptions necessary to establish themodels, and it remains unclear whether those relationships still hold when the knee is loaded in flexion. Goal of this study was to quantify the medio-lateral force distribution in deep knee flexion using direct measurements of the in vivo knee loading conditions and to examine whether and if so by how much the load distribution can be changed in flexion. In addition, we aimed to assess whether more readily available measures such as the dynamic external knee adduction moment (EAM) or static frontal plane alignment were able to predict the internal loading conditions in deep knee flexion. Methods: Gait analysis was performed on 9 total knee replacement (TKR) patients with a post-op mechanical axis angle (MAA) ranging from 4.5 valgus to 7 varus. Telemetric implants provided access to the in vivo TF contact forces and the ratio of the medial to total contact force (MR), while kinematics and external knee moments were determined using inverse dynamics analyses based on synchronously collected ground reactions forces and skin marker data for variants of squatting. While maintaining the reference position of their feet established for the neutral squat (approximately shoulder-width apart, 9 subjects), additional data from 6 of these subjects was available where they were asked to squeeze their knees together (valgus squat) or push their knees apart (varus squat). To assess whether knee loading can be modified in deep flexion, the medial contact force (Fmed) and the MR were compared between varus and valgus squats, while linear regression analyses assessed the relation between the external adduction moment (EAM) and either Fmed or the MR and whether the MAA explained any variance in the internal forces. All subjects provided written informed consent to participate in the procedures and the study was approved by the local ethics committee. Results: The mean MR for the valgus squats (0.33 0.09) was lower (p 0.05). During the neutral squats the patients reached a similar mean peak knee flexion of 95.6 , while the mean MR and Fmed were 0.40 08 and 0.96 0.:32BW, respectively. Linear regression analysis across the 9 subjects revealed a stronger association between EAM andMR (R2 1⁄4 0.88) than between EAM and Fmed (R2 1⁄4 0.62) (Figure 1).

Co-Simulation of Neuromuscular Dynamics and Knee Mechanics During Human Walking

This study introduces a framework for co-simulating neuromuscular dynamics and knee joint mechanics during gait. A knee model was developed that included 17 ligament bundles and a representation of the distributed contact between a femoral component and tibial insert surface. The knee was incorporated into a forward dynamics musculoskeletal model of the lower extremity. A computed muscle control algorithm was then used to modulate the muscle excitations to drive the model to closely track measured hip, knee, and ankle angle trajectories of a subject walking overground with an instrumented knee replacement. The resulting simulations predicted the muscle forces, ligament forces, secondary knee kinematics, and tibiofemoral contact loads. Model-predicted tibiofemoral contact forces were of comparable magnitudes to experimental measurements, with peak medial (1.95 body weight (BW)) and total (2.76 BW) contact forces within 4-17% of measured values. Average root-mean-square errors over a gait cycle were 0.26, 0.42, and 0.51 BW for the medial, lateral, and total contact forces, respectively. The model was subsequently used to predict variations in joint contact pressure that could arise by altering the frontal plane joint alignment. Small variations (±2 deg) in the alignment of the femoral component and tibial insert did not substantially affect the location of contact pressure, but did alter the medio-lateral distribution of load and internal tibia rotation in swing. Thus, the computational framework can be used to virtually assess the coupled influence of both physiological and design factors on in vivo joint mechanics and performance.

Evaluation of a musculoskeletal model with prosthetic knee through six experimental gait trials

Knowledge of the forces acting on musculoskeletal joint tissues during movement benefits tissue engineering, artificial joint replacement, and our understanding of ligament and cartilage injury. Computational models can be used to predict these internal forces, but musculoskeletal models that simultaneously calculate muscle force and the resulting loading on joint structures are rare. This study used publicly available gait, skeletal geometry, and instrumented prosthetic knee loading data [1] to evaluate muscle driven forward dynamics simulations of walking. Inputs to the simulation were measured kinematics and outputs included muscle, ground reaction, ligament, and joint contact forces. A full body musculoskeletal model with subject specific lower extremity geometries was developed in the multibody framework. A compliant contact was defined between the prosthetic femoral component and tibia insert geometries. Ligament structures were modeled with a nonlinear force–strain relationship. The model included 45 muscles on the right lower leg. During forward dynamics simulations a feedback control scheme calculated muscle forces using the error signal between the current muscle lengths and the lengths recorded during inverse kinematics simulations. Predicted tibio-femoral contact force, ground reaction forces, and muscle forces were compared to experimental measurements for six different gait trials using three different gait types (normal, trunk sway, and medial thrust). The mean average deviation (MAD) and root mean square deviation (RMSD) over one gait cycle are reported. The muscle driven forward dynamics simulations were computationally efficient and consistently reproduced the inverse kinematics motion. The forward simulations also predicted total knee contact forces (166N<MAD<404N, 212N<RMSD<448N) and vertical ground reaction forces (66N<MAD<90N, 97N<RMSD<128N) well within 28% and 16% of experimental loads, respectively. However the simplified muscle length feedback control scheme did not realistically represent physiological motor control patterns during gait. Consequently, the simulations did not accurately predict medial/lateral tibio-femoral force distribution and muscle activation timing.

Modelling and simulation of contact force in cold rotary forging

Cold rotary forging is an advanced and complex metal forming technology with continuous local plastic deformation. Investigating the contact force between the dies and the workpiece has a great significance to improve the life of the dies in cold rotary forging. The purpose of this work is to reveal the contact force responses in cold rotary forging through the modelling and simulation. For this purpose, a 3D elastic-plastic dynamic explicit FE model of cold rotary forging is developed using the FE code ABAQUS/Explicit. Through the modelling and simulation, the distribution and evolution of the contact force in cold rotary forging is investigated in detail. The experiment has been conducted and the validity of the 3D FE model of cold rotary forging has been verified. The results show that: 1) The contact force distribution is complex and exhibits an obvious non-uniform characteristic in the radial and circumferential directions; 2) The maximum contact force between the upper die and the workpiece is much larger than that between the lower die and the workpiece; 3) The contact force evolution history is periodic and every period experiences three different stages; 4) The total normal contact force is much larger than the total shear contact force at any given time.

Asperity Interaction and Substrate Deformation in Statistical Summation Models of Contact Between Rough Surfaces

A method is proposed to account for asperity interaction and bulk substrate deformation in models that utilize statistical summation of asperity forces to characterize contact between rough surfaces. Interaction deformations of noncontacting asperities are calculated based on the probability that they have taller neighbors in their vicinity, whose deformation upon contact, in turn, induces local substrate deformations. The effect of the order of interaction on the total contact force is explored and a limit is proposed based on asperity density. The updated contact force accounting for asperity interaction is found to tend to a constant fraction of the nominal contact force at the mathematical limit of asperity contact independent of the order of interaction, roughness, or material properties. For contact in the vicinity of zero mean plane separation, rough surfaces are found to exhibit greater asperity interaction resulting in reduced contact forces. A simplified curve-fitted expression is introduced that can be used to account for asperity interaction by adjusting the nominal contact force predicted by other models.

Fine tuning total knee replacement contact force prediction algorithms using blinded model validation.

The purpose of this study was to perform a blinded comparison of model predictions of total knee replacement contact forces to in vivo forces from an instrumented prosthesis during normal walking and medial thrust gait by participating in the "Third Grand Challenge Competition to Predict in vivo Knee Loads." We also evaluated model assumptions that were critical for accurate force predictions. Medial, lateral, and total axial forces through the knee were calculated using a previously developed and validated parametric numerical model. The model uses equilibrium equations between internal and external moments and forces to obtain knee joint contact forces and calculates a range of forces at instances during the gait cycle through parametric variation of muscle activity levels. For 100 instances during a normal over-ground gait cycle, model root mean square differences from eTibia data were 292, 248, and 281 for medial, lateral, and total contact forces, respectively. For 100 instances during a medial thrust gait cycle, model root mean square differences from eTibia data were 332, 234, and 470 for medial, lateral, and total contact forces, respectively. The percent difference between measured and predicted peak total axial force was 2.89% at the first peak and 9.36% at the second peak contact force for normal walking and 3.94% at the first peak and 14.86% at the second peak contact force for medial thrust gait. After unblinding, changes to model assumptions improved medial and lateral force predictions for both gait styles but did not improve total force predictions. Axial forces computed with the model compared well to the eTibia data under blinded and unblinded conditions. Knowledge of detailed knee kinematics, namely anterior-posterior translation, appears to be critical in obtaining accurate force predictions.

Dual-Joint Modeling for Estimation of Total Knee Replacement Contact Forces During Locomotion

Model-based estimation of in vivo contact forces arising between components of a total knee replacement is challenging because such forces depend upon accurate modeling of muscles, tendons, ligaments, contact, and multibody dynamics. Here we describe an approach to solving this problem with results that are tested by comparison to knee loads measured in vivo for a single subject and made available through the Grand Challenge Competition to Predict in vivo Tibiofemoral Loads. The approach makes use of a "dual-joint" paradigm in which the knee joint is alternately represented by (1) a ball-joint knee for inverse dynamic computation of required muscle controls and (2) a 12 degree-of-freedom (DOF) knee with elastic foundation contact at the tibiofemoral and patellofemoral articulations for forward dynamic integration. Measured external forces and kinematics were applied as a feedback controller and static optimization attempted to track measured knee flexion angles and electromyographic (EMG) activity. The resulting simulations showed excellent tracking of knee flexion (average RMS error of 2.53 deg) and EMG (muscle activations within ±10% envelopes of normalized measured EMG signals). Simulated tibiofemoral contact forces agreed qualitatively with measured contact forces, but their RMS errors were approximately 25% of the peak measured values. These results demonstrate the potential of a dual-joint modeling approach to predict joint contact forces from kinesiological data measured in the motion laboratory. It is anticipated that errors in the estimation of contact force will be reduced as more accurate subject-specific models of muscles and other soft tissues are developed.

Probability analysis of contact forces in quasi-solid-liquid phase transition of granular shear flow

The quasi-solid-liquid phase transition exists widely in different fields, and attracts more attention due to its instinctive mechanism. The structure of force chains is an important factor to describe the phase transition properties. In this study, the discrete element model (DEM) is adopted to simulate a simple granular shear flow with period boundary condition on micro scale. The quasi-solid-liquid phase transition is obtained under various volume fractions and shear rates. Based on the DEM results, the probability distribution functions of the inter-particle contact force are obtained in different shear flow phases. The normal, tangential and total contact forces have the same distributions. The distribution can be fitted as the exponential function for the liquid-like phase, and as the Weibull function for the solid-like phase. To describe the progressive evolution of the force distribution in phase transition, we use the Weibull function and Corwin-Ngan function, respectively. Both of them can determine the probability distributions in different phases and the Weibull function shows more reasonable results. Finally, the force distributions are discussed to explain the characteristics of the force chain in the phase transition of granular shear flow. The distribution of the contact force is an indicator to determine the flow phase of granular materials. With the discussions on the statistical properties of the force chain, the phase transition of granular matter can be well understood.

Are external knee load and EMG measures accurate indicators of internal knee contact forces during gait?

Mechanical loading is believed to be a critical factor in the development and treatment of knee osteoarthritis. However, the contact forces to which the knee articular surfaces are subjected during daily activities cannot be measured clinically. Thus, the ability to predict internal knee contact forces accurately using external measures (i.e., external knee loads and muscle electromyographic [EMG] signals) would be clinically valuable. We quantified how well external knee load and EMG measures predict internal knee contact forces during gait. A single subject with a force-measuring tibial prosthesis and post-operative valgus alignment performed four gait patterns (normal, medial thrust, walking pole, and trunk sway) to induce a wide range of external and internal knee joint loads. Linear regression analyses were performed to assess how much of the variability in internal contact forces was accounted for by variability in the external measures. Though the different gait patterns successfully induced significant changes in the external and internal quantities, changes in external measures were generally weak indicators of changes in total, medial, and lateral contact force. Our results suggest that when total contact force may be changing, caution should be exercised when inferring changes in knee contact forces based on observed changes in external knee load and EMG measures. Advances in musculoskeletal modeling methods may be needed for accurate estimation of in vivo knee contact forces.

Hip and knee joint loading during vertical jumping and push jerking

BackgroundThe internal joint contact forces experienced at the lower limb have been frequently studied in activities of daily living and rehabilitation activities. In contrast, the forces experienced during more dynamic activities are not well understood, and those studies that do exist suggest very high degrees of joint loading. MethodsIn this study a biomechanical model of the right lower limb was used to calculate the internal joint forces experienced by the lower limb during vertical jumping, landing and push jerking (an explosive exercise derived from the sport of Olympic weightlifting), with a particular emphasis on the forces experienced by the knee. FindingsThe knee experienced mean peak loadings of 2.4–4.6×body weight at the patellofemoral joint, 6.9–9.0×body weight at the tibiofemoral joint, 0.3–1.4×body weight anterior tibial shear and 1.0–3.1×body weight posterior tibial shear. The hip experienced a mean peak loading of 5.5–8.4×body weight and the ankle 8.9–10.0×body weight. InterpretationThe magnitudes of the total (resultant) joint contact forces at the patellofemoral joint, tibiofemoral joint and hip are greater than those reported in activities of daily living and less dynamic rehabilitation exercises. The information in this study is of importance for medical professionals, coaches and biomedical researchers in improving the understanding of acute and chronic injuries, understanding the performance of prosthetic implants and materials, evaluating the appropriateness of jumping and weightlifting for patient populations and informing the training programmes of healthy populations.