A biomechanical analysis of a medial unloading brace for osteoarthritis in the knee.

Objectives: The goals of the study were to measure the force applied to the lateral side of the knee by a valgus loading brace designed for patients with medial compartment osteoarthritis (OA) and to compare the varus moment at the knee during level gait with and without the brace.

Methods: Five subjects diagnosed with medial compartment OA were fitted with a custom Monarch valgus loading knee brace. A 3-dimensional videobased motion analysis system and force plate information were used to calculate forces and moments at the knee.

Failure characteristics of various arthroscopically tied knots.

The current study evaluated multiple arthroscopic knot configurations and compared their properties with open, hand-tied square knots. This is an experimental study done on a material testing system. Number 2 Ethibond Extra and Number 1 Polydioxanone sutures were used.

Comparison of eccentric and concentric screw placement for hamstring graft fixation in the tibial tunnel.

Interference screw fixation of four-strand hamstring grafts for ACL reconstruction has recently been introduced. By this method, the interference screw is placed in the tibial and femoral tunnels eccentric (adjacent) to the bundled limbs of the graft. In order to maximize the graft to tunnel contact to promote biological fixation, it is proposed to place the screw concentrically in the tunnel, in the middle of the four limbs of the graft, pressing each limb of the graft into the tunnel wall.

Mechanisms of anterior cruciate ligament neovascularization and ligamentization.

Columbia-Rambouillet cross-bred sheep were used to study the revascularization and ligamentization process of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction over a 6-month period using basic histology, immunohistochemistry, and electron microscopy. The reconstruction technique studied was a quadruple-hamstring, interference screw fixation technique. Further, these specimens, after retrieval at 6, 12, and 26 weeks, were compared with human arthroscopic 'second looks' and with 10 en bloc specimens obtained when a cruciate-sacrificing total knee replacement was performed.

Effect of test environment on intervertebral disc hydration.

Study Design: Water content of fresh human lumbar intervertebral discs (with adjacent endplates) was assessed in three studies: 1) after each of seven specimen preparation steps. 2) during exposure to either saline spray or a saline bath, and 3) during exposure to a saline bath and 445 N axial compression, either without or with previous exposure to the bath and no compression ("free swelling").

Objective: To assess the effect on disc hydration of various aspects of specimen preparation and testing environments.