Abstract
BackgroundFibular grafting is widely used in the treatment of various bone nonunions and defects because of its good therapeutic effects. Furthermore, partial fibular resection has been used as a treatment for fibular tumors, injuries, and other conditions. The fibula plays important roles in the biomechanics of the lower limbs. Some experts have used cadaver specimens to study these aspects. In this study, the biomechanical effects of the fibula in lower limbs were researched through mechanics analysis.MethodsWe randomly collected knee joint computed tomography (CT) scans from eight adults, including three left knees and five right knees. The DICOM formatted CT scan images were imported into Mimics software. The tibia and fibula were extracted with the CT-bone function in Mimics software, and 3D models of the tibia and fibula were obtained. Each model was imported into 3-MATIC and LS-DYNA software to smooth the surface, perform meshing, define material properties, and set the failure parameters, interface properties, vertical loads and boundary conditions. The tibial fractures in both models were calculated to evaluate the biomechanical role of the fibula in the lower leg.ResultsThe validity of the model was verified, and the fibular load condition was similar to those previously reported. In the model with fibular support, the fracture load of the tibia was 78.27±3.36 KN, the initial fracture time was 0.69±0.01 s, and the complete fracture time was 0.75±0.01 s. The fibula carried approximately 7% of the load on the lower leg. In the fibular defect model, the fracture load of the tibia was 72.71±3.25 KN, the initial fracture time was 0.54±0.02 s, and the complete fracture time was 0.62±0.01 s.ConclusionsThe fibula play an essential biomechanical role in lower limb load-bearing and therefore is worthy of clinical attention. We believe that LS-DYNA can be used as an effective tool for the study of fracture mechanics.
The Biomechanical Role of the Fibula in Lower Limbs: A Fracture Mechanics Analysis