Evaluation of an intact, an ACL-deficient, and a reconstructed human knee joint finite element model

The human knee joint has a three dimensional geometry with multiple body articulations that produce complex mechanical responses under loads that occur in everyday life and sports activities. Knowledge of the complex mechanical interactions of these load bearing structures is of help when the treatment of relevant diseases is evaluated and assisting devices are designed. The anterior cruciate ligament in the knee connects the femur to the tibia and is often torn during a sudden twisting motion, resulting in knee instability. The objective of this work is to study the mechanical behavior of the human knee joint in typical everyday activities and evaluate the differences in its response for three different states, intact, injured and reconstructed knee. Three equivalent finite element models were developed. For the reconstructed model a novel repair device developed and patented by the authors was employed. For the verification of the developed models, static load cases presented in a previous modeling work were used. Mechanical stresses calculated for the load cases studied, were very close to results presented in previous experimentally verified work, in both load distribution and maximum calculated load values.

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Finite Element Model of the Human Knee Joint to Study Tibio-Femoral Contact Mechanics

10.1115/imece2000-2562 ◽

2000 ◽

Author(s):

Tammy Haut Donahue ◽

Maury L. Hull ◽

Mark M. Rashid ◽

Christopher R. Jacobs

Keyword(s):

Finite Element ◽

Finite Element Model ◽

Degrees Of Freedom ◽

Soft Tissues ◽

Element Model ◽

Human Knee ◽

Human Knee Joint ◽

Solid Models ◽

Flexion Extension ◽

A New Technique

Abstract A finite element model of the tibio-femoral joint in the human knee was created using a new technique for developing accurate solid models of soft tissues (i.e. cartilage and menisci). The model was used to demonstrate that constraining rotational degrees of freedom other than flexion/extension when the joint is loaded in compression markedly affects the load distribution between the medial and lateral sides of the joint. The model also was used to validate the assumption that the bones can be treated as rigid.

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A 3D Biphasic Finite Element Model of the Human Knee Joint for the Study of Tibiofemoral Contact and Fluid Pressurization

Volume 1B: Extremity; Fluid Mechanics; Gait; Growth, Remodeling, and Repair; Heart Valves; Injury Biomechanics; Mechanotransduction and Sub-Cellular Biophysics; MultiScale Biotransport; Muscle, Tendon and Ligament; Musculoskeletal Devices; Multiscale Mechanics; Thermal Medicine; Ocular Biomechanics; Pediatric Hemodynamics; Pericellular Phenomena; Tissue Mechanics; Biotransport Design and Devices; Spine; Stent Device Hemodynamics; Vascular Solid Mechanics; Student Paper and Design Competitions ◽

10.1115/sbc2013-14178 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Hongqiang Guo ◽

Suzanne A. Maher ◽

Robert L. Spilker

Keyword(s):

Finite Element ◽

Fluid Flow ◽

Knee Joint ◽

Contact Problem ◽

Finite Element Model ◽

Soft Tissues ◽

Fluid Pressure ◽

Element Model ◽

Human Knee Joint ◽

Biphasic Finite Element

Biphasic theory which considers soft tissue, such as articular cartilage and meniscus, as a combination of a solid and a fluid phase has been widely used to model their biomechanical behavior [1]. Though fluid flow plays an important role in the load-carrying ability of soft tissues, most finite element models of the knee joint consider cartilage and the meniscus as solid. This simplification is due to the fact that biphasic contact is complicated to model. Beside the continuity conditions for displacement and traction that a single-phase contact problem consists of, there are two additional continuity conditions in the biphasic contact problem for relative fluid flow and fluid pressure [2]. The problem becomes even more complex when a joint is being modeled. The knee joint, for example, has multiple contact pairs which make the biphasic finite element model of this joint far more complex. Several biphasic models of the knee have been developed [3–9], yet simplifications were included in these models: (1) the 3D geometry of the knee was represented by a 2D axisymmetric geometry [3, 5, 6, 9]; (2) no fluid flow was allowed between contact surfaces of the soft tissues [4, 8] which is inconsistent with the equation of mass conservation across the contact interface [10]; (3) zero fluid pressure boundary conditions were inaccurately applied around the contact area [7].

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Development of a 3-D Non-Linear Finite Element Model of Human Knee Joint

Advances in Bioengineering ◽

10.1115/imece2002-32608 ◽

2002 ◽

Author(s):

Yuhua Song ◽

Richard E. Debski ◽

Jorge Gil ◽

Savio L.-Y. Woo

Keyword(s):

Finite Element ◽

Knee Joint ◽

Soft Tissues ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Element Model ◽

Fe Model ◽

Full Extension ◽

Human Knee ◽

Human Knee Joint ◽

Non Linear

A 3-D finite element (FE) model of the knee is needed to more accurately analyze the kinematics of a knee joint as well as the function of various soft tissues such as ligaments. The data obtained can provide a better understanding of mechanisms of injury and offer valuable information for ligament reconstruction and rehabilitation protocols. The objective of this study was to develop a 3-D non-linear FE model of a human knee and determine its kinematics and the force and stress distributions within the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in response to anterior tibial loads at full extension. This model was validated by comparing the computed results to data obtained experimentally by a Robotic/UFS testing system [1].

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On a Refined Finite Element Model of the Knee Joint

10.1115/imece1999-0448 ◽

1999 ◽

Author(s):

K. Moglo ◽

A. Shirazi-Adl

Keyword(s):

Finite Element ◽

Articular Cartilage ◽

Knee Joint ◽

Finite Element Model ◽

Element Model ◽

Force Transmission ◽

Full Extension ◽

Human Knee Joint ◽

Coupled Response ◽

Nonlinear Finite Element Model

Abstract A refined 3D elastostatic nonlinear finite element model was developed for the human knee joint in other to predict the passive global primary/coupled response and force transmission mechanism under various loads/movements and pathologic conditions. The joint geometry was based on an existing model (Bendjaballah et al., 1995) which was substantially refined in the articular cartilage and menisci regions as well as the articulating contact surfaces. The articular cartilage is subdivided into two layers along the depth allowing for the possibility to consider non homogeneity in mechanical propreties. The incremental response of the knee joint was evaluated under axial force of up to 780 N applied on the femur in full extension position. The global primary/coupled response, ligament forces as well as load transmission in medial/lateral plateaus through menisci and uncovered cartilage are analysed.

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A Validated Three-Dimensional Computational Model of a Human Knee Joint

Journal of Biomechanical Engineering ◽

10.1115/1.2800871 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 121 (6) ◽

pp. 657-662 ◽

Cited By ~ 188

Author(s):

G. Li ◽

J. Gil ◽

A. Kanamori ◽

S. L.-Y. Woo

Keyword(s):

Experimental Data ◽

Finite Element ◽

Knee Joint ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Optimization Procedure ◽

Element Model ◽

Joint Model ◽

Equivalent Resistance ◽

Human Knee ◽

Human Knee Joint

This paper presents a three-dimensional finite element tibio-femoral joint model of a human knee that was validated using experimental data. The geometry of the joint model was obtained from magnetic resonance (MR) images of a cadaveric knee specimen. The same specimen was biomechanically tested using a robotic/universal force-moment sensor (UFS) system and knee kinematic data under anterior-posterior tibial loads (up to 100 N) were obtained. In the finite element model (FEM), cartilage was modeled as an elastic material, ligaments were represented as nonlinear elastic springs, and menisci were simulated by equivalent-resistance springs. Reference lengths (zero-load lengths) of the ligaments and stiffness of the meniscus springs were estimated using an optimization procedure that involved the minimization of the differences between the kinematics predicted by the model and those obtained experimentally. The joint kinematics and in-situ forces in the ligaments in response to axial tibial moments of up to 10 Nm were calculated using the model and were compared with published experimental data on knee specimens. It was also demonstrated that the equivalent-resistance springs representing the menisci are important for accurate calculation of knee kinematics. Thus, the methodology developed in this study can be a valuable tool for further analysis of knee joint function and could serve as a step toward the development of more advanced computational knee models.

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