Knee joint forces: prediction, measurement, and significance

Abstract

Knee forces are highly significant in osteoarthritis and in the survival and function of knee arthroplasty. A large number of studies have attempted to estimate forces around the knee during various activities. Several approaches have been used to relate knee kinematics and external forces to internal joint contact forces, the most popular being inverse dynamics, forward dynamics, and static body analyses. Knee forces have also been measured in vivo after knee arthroplasty, which serves as valuable validation of computational predictions. This review summarizes the results of published studies that measured knee forces for various activities. The efficacy of various methods to alter knee force distribution, such as gait modification, orthotics, walking aids, and custom treadmills are analyzed. Current gaps in our knowledge are identified and directions for future research in this area are outlined.

Challenges in Outcome Measurement: Discrepancies Between Patient and Provider Definitions of Success

“…For this patient group and for an increasing proportion of older patients with joint arthroplasty, the restoration of normal joint function involves returning to a predisease regimen of activities. Despite the desire to participate in recreation and exercise, biomechanical studies using instrumented prostheses of the hip and knee confirm that these physically demanding activities greatly elevate the loads and torques acting on the implanted components [15,33,60,67]. This has led to the formulation of advice to patients from surgical societies concerning activities that are recommended and strongly discouraged after joint arthroplasty [12,23,48,65].…”

Embedded piezoelectrics for sensing and energy harvesting in total knee replacement units

“…Specifically, this work aims to embed piezoelectric materials in the polyethylene tibial component of a knee replacement unit to act as sensors that will aid in the alignment and balance of the knee replacement by providing intraoperative feedback to the surgeon. Recently, clinical studies have shown that proper alignment and balance of the implant's ligamentous forces between the medial and lateral compartments during surgery have a significant effect on the success of the operation 6,7 . The piezoelectric sensors can postoperatively monitor the structural health of the implant to detect potential problems before they become bothersome to the patient.…”

Information and communications technologies for elderly ubiquitous healthcare in a smart home

“…There are several conventional methods to diagnose injuries of the knee [49][50][51][52]. These include looking, feeling, movement and the imaging of the injured area.…”