Introduction Biomechanics (the science of analyzing the mechanics of biological systems) provides useful insight to current global healthcare issues such as cardiovascular problems and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Cardiovascular diseases and stroke account for 1 in 4 deaths in US (CDC Wonder Online Database) and account for more than $312.6 billion in cost (AHA Statistical Update 2014). MSDs such as Osteoarthritis (OA) – a joint disease that deteriorates the articular cartilage - reduce the quality of life and are estimated to cost a total of $125 billion per year [Gallagher et al. 2013]. OA accounts for a considerable portion of this cost. Lawrence et al. (2008) estimated that 13.9% of adults aged 25 year and older are affected by OA. …show more content…
A study on the late effects of meniscectomy ten to thirty years after surgery revealed that only 10 percent of women who underwent the surgery had symptom-free knees [TAPPER et. al, 1969]. Less invasive methods such as arthroscopic surgeries have been introduced to preserve the joint capsule as much as possible and have provided satisfactory results. For instance, central quadriceps tendon-bone autograft performed on patients with ACL injuries produced successful results in a majority of patients 27 to 49 months post operatively [Lee et. al, 2004]. Therefore, the complicated interaction of tissues inside the knee plays a crucial role in the well-being of the organ. Thorough understanding of this complex interaction enables the healthcare professionals to design better treatment plans and also provide better injury prevention …show more content…
For instance, industrial six-degree of freedom robots matched with a universal force-moment sensor (UFS) have been used recently to calculate the internal forces of the joint in addition to measuring accurate kinematics in the 3-D envelope of motion. One example was the Kawasaki ZX165U matched with a Delta UFS (ATI). Heyse et al. (2015) analyzed the ability of Unicondylar Knee Arthroplasty (UKA) to restore the kinematics of the knee both in Balanced (normal installation of the implant) and Overstuffed (thicker inlay of polyethylene in the medial compartment) implant. The kinematics were measured in response to axial loading of 200 N in addition to a 15 Nm Abduction moment. Another example of utilizing an industrial robot matched with a UFS was presented by Kanamori et al. (2000). A Puma robot model 762 (Unimate, Pittsburgh, PA) was matched with model 4015 UFS (JR3, Inc, Woodland, CA) in order to compare the kinematics of intact and ACL deficient knee in response to tibial torque of 10Nm and pivot shift test (A combination of 10-Nm internal tibial torque and 10-Nm Valgus). Moreover, the ACL force was calculated at specific knee angles by serial sectioning method, a method in which the force taken by a constraint (ACL in this
The incidence and prevalence rate of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in female athletes continues to increase over time (Prodromos, Han, Rogowski, Joyce, & Shi, 2007). With the growing rate in the amount of young women participating in sports, data has shown that the rate of ACL injury increases linearly with this participation ("The Relationship Between Static Posture and ACL Injury in Female Athletes," 1996). This epidemic of ACL injuries in female athletes, young or old, continues to be problematic in the athletic world. This problem not only affects the athlete themselves, but also the coaches and the sports medicine community.
Tearing the ACL is now considered an epidemic in the United States over 100,000 recorded incidences are reported each year (Moeller). While such a finding may be good for orthopedic doctors and surgeons, this is not good for millions of athletes’ competing these days in high intensity sports. This is especially a problem for female athletes who are two to four times more likely to tear their ACL than men (Moeller). This is one of the biggest mysteries about ACL tears is the difference between the number of injuries seen in women and men. Women tend to tear there ACL far more frequently then men. While not everyone agrees that gender itself is the source of the problem, evidence is growing that females are learning too late that participating in sports can also become the first step to ruining an active lifestyle.
The most common knee injury in sports is damage to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) through tears or sprains. “They occur in high demand sports that involve planting and cutting, jumping with a poor landing, and stopping immediately or changing directions” (University of Colorado Hospital). The ACL is a ligament that runs diagonally in the middle of the knee and found at the front of the patellar bone. Its function involves controlling the back and forth motion of the knee, preventing the tibia from sliding out in front of the femur, and providing rational stability to the knee. Interestingly, women are more prone to ACL injuries than men. The occurrence is four to six times greater in female athletes.
Meniscal tears are a common sports injury, and can vary widely in severity and pain. Meniscal tears are very common among athletes playing contact sports, such as Football, Rugby, and Soccer or any sport that involves twisting of the knee. Meniscal tears are more common among men than woman. Meniscal injuries can occur at any age, but factors differ with age. In older people tears are degenerative and usually occur doing daily activities. In younger people the majority of meniscal tears occur primarily by cutting or twisting movements, hyperflexion, or
In November of 2010, I was playing basketball in the fifth game of my senior season. It was just like any other game. However, I would soon find out otherwise. It was late in the game; I drove into the lane and got fouled hard. I was knocked so off-balance that I speared the floor with my knee. As soon as my knee hit the floor I heard a “snap” that I will never forget for the rest of my life. Little did I know at the time, that would be the last shot of my high school basketball career. Not long after my injury, I consulted a doctor. After getting an x-ray and an MRI, the doctor informed me that I had completely torn my ACL and would need to have surgery. An ACL tear can be a very devastating injury. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the four major ligaments within the knee. The ACL is one of the most commonly injured ligaments, injured by an estimated 200,000 patients each year. Of the 200,000 annual ACL injuries, surgery is performed in approximately 100,000 cases. There are many types of reconstructive surgery on the ACL. However, there is an alternative to surgery in the form of physical therapy.
Retrieved September 16, 2000 from: http://www. www.sechrest.com/mmg/knee/kneeacl.html. Arthroscopic ACL Reconstruction -. et al. (July 11, 1999).:Arthroscopy.com. Retrieved September 16, 2000 from: http://www.arthroscopy.com/sp05018.htm.
Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis, it affects millions of people around the world. It is also known as Degenerative Joint Disease or Degenerative Arthritis or Wear & Tear Arthritis. Osteoarthritis occurs when the protective cartilage in the joints wear down over time. While osteoarthritis can affect any joint in your body, it more often is seen in the knees, hips, hands, neck, and lower back it worsens as you grow older and has no known cure.
Ytterberg, S.R., Mahowald, M.L. & Krug, H.E.(1994) “Exercise for arthritis”, BailliOre' s Clinical Rheumatology, 8(1), pp. 161-189. ScienceDirect [Online]. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0950357905802304 (Accessed: 13th May 2014).
“The anterior cruicate ligament is a strong band that arises from the posterior middle part of the lateral condyle of the femur, it passes anteriorly and inferiorly between the condyle, and is attached to the depression in front of the intercondylar eminence of the tibia (Mosby‘s page. 105).” The tear of the A.C.L is described as a partial or complete rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament. The A.C.L. does not repair by itself. It is so important to an athlete in most sports because an athlete has to be able to rotate the knee in specific directions. The tear happens more frequently in soccer, basketball, and volleyball. Athletes who started participating in a sport while they were young have a greater chance of sustaining a tear. Women are more susceptible to this injury than men. Theories for this include hormonal, environmental, and biomechanical factors. “Women‘s muscles react differently in landing. Doctors say that women land with straighter legs than men do; thus, they pass their shock to the A.C.L. resulting in a tear. Environmental factors are shoes and playing surfaces.” (Patrick, Dick)
The word patella comes from the great latin language meaning shallow pan or shallow dish. The description of that word could not be more correct, it was meant in reference to balance of food but in anatomy’s case a balance of the body. The patella is a small bone located in front of the knee joint where the thigh bone (femur) and shinbone (tibia) meet. It protects the knee and connects the muscles in the front of the thigh to the tibia. The patella is one of two sesamoid bones found in the body, roughly triangular shaped in size. It’s thick consistency allows for the articulation of the femur, which in turn allows for body support and balance. The patella has multiple body functions with the primary being knee extension. The patella is essential for basic body functions including locomotion;
The majority of ACL injuries suffered during athletic participation are of the noncontact variety. Three main noncontact mechanisms have been identified planting and cutting, straight-knee landing and one-step stop landing with the knee hyperextended. Pivoting and sudden deceleration are also common mechanisms of noncontact ACL injury. Basketball, soccer, and volleyball consistently produce some of the highest ACL injury rates across various age groups. Other activities with a high rate of injury are gymnastics, martial arts, and running. In most sports, injuries occur more often in games than in practice. Many injuries have occurred during the first 30 minutes of play. One-reason physicians are seeing more ACL injuries in female patients that more women play sports, and they play more intensely. But as they continued to do more studies, they are finding that women's higher rate of ACL is probably due ...
The most common use of biomechanics is in the development of prosthetic limbs used for the handicapped. Most work on prosthetics is done in laboratories where scientists use calibrated machines to test stress and wear of artificial limbs. These days, prosthetics, are made of titanium and lightweight fiberglass to make a near perfect match with most people. The most common prosthesis is the replacement in a below the knee amputation. The American Society of Biomechanics (ASB) held a meeting at Clemson University of 1997 in order to develop a sports prosthesis that would stand up to every day flexing of the knee for performance in sports.
In order to understand how the menisci can be injured, you must understand the basic anatomy of the menisci and why they are important. The menisci are two oval (semilunar) fibrocartilages that deepen the articular facets of the tibia and cushion any stresses placed on the knee joint. They enhance the total stability of the knee, assist in the control of normal knee motion, and provide shock absorption against compression forces between the tibia and the femur (Booher, 2000). Articular cartilage covers the ends of the bones that make up the joint. The articular cartilage surface is a tough, very slick material that allows the surfaces to slide against one another without damage to either surface. This ability of the meniscus to spread out the force on the joint surfaces as we walk is important because it protects the articular cartilage from excessive forces occurring in any one area on the joint surface, leading to degeneration over time (Sutton, 1999).
A 16 year old, female high school soccer player, Lindsey Robinson tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) from a soccer game. Interestingly, she was not the only one in her team who injured her ACL, but also several of her teammates have torn the same ligament as well during the soccer season. Lephart (2002) found that women involved in physical activity are more susceptible to acquire the ACL injuries than men who are involved in the same physical activity (as cited in Ogden, 2002). According to “ACL Injury Prevention” (2004), the numbers on female ACL ruptures have been increased for the past ten year. Over 1.4 million women have been suffered from the ACL rupture which is twice the rate of the previous decade. Therefore, female ACL injuries are now a growing problem in the nation (Anonymous, 2004). Back in 1950s and 1960s, female participation in sports was rare; therefore, the rate of injuries was very low. However, according to “ACL Injuries and Female Athletes” (n.d), as Title IX was implemented in 1972, female participation in numerous sports has dramatically increased. Moreover, the rate of acquiring injuries to the ACL also has dramatically increased (Anonymous, n.d). In terms of comparing the rate of acquiring ACL injuries between two genders, females have higher rate than males do. According to the “Physical Therapy Corner” (2007), “women suffered anterior cruciate ligament injuries more often than men, nearly 4 times as often in basketball, 3 times as often in gymnastics, and nearly 2 and a half times as often in soccer” (Knee Injuries section, para.1). There are various risk factors that contribute to the high rate of acquiring injuries to the ACL for female athletes. External factors such as improper sh...
Traumatic injuries seem to occur a lot in the sport of football. Knee injuries seem to be one of the most occurring traumatic injuries in football (Become an Advocate for Sports Safety). The main types of traumatic knee injuries are: tearing/spraining of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), medial collateral ligament (MCL), and the meniscus, which is the cartilage that is in the knee (Become an Advocate for Sports Safety). The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a very vital ligament in the knee. It is the main stabilizer of the knee. Surprisingly usually the anterior cruciate ligament is torn from a non-contact twisting of the knee (5 Most Common Football injuries (and How to Prevent Them)). The knee normally pops and it will begin to swell and it may feel unstable (5 Most Common Football injuries (and How to Prevent Them)). Swelling depends on the severity in the tear of the ligament. The anterior cruciate ligament is one of the four main ligaments that provide stability to the knee joint (Common Football Injuries). It is the most important out of the four. Injuries to any of the cruciate ligaments in the knee are most of the time sprains (Common Football Injuries). The anterior cruciate ligament being the most often stretched, strained, sprained or either tore (Common Football Injuries). Most of the knee injuries that occur in footbal...