The in vivo relationship between anterior neutral tibial position and loss of knee extension after transtibial ACL reconstruction.

Background: Restoration of anterior tibial stability while avoiding knee extension deficit are a common goal of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. However, achieving this goal can be challenging. The purpose of this study was to determine whether side-to-side differences in anterior tibial neutral position and laxity are correlated with knee extension deficit in subjects 2 years after ACL reconstruction.

Patterns of femoral cartilage thickness are different in asymptomatic and osteoarthritic knees and can be used to detect disease-related differences between samples.

Measures of mean cartilage thickness over predefined regions in the femoral plate using magnetic resonance imaging have provided important insights into the characteristics of knee osteoarthritis (OA), however, this quantification method suffers from the limited ability to detect OA-related differences between knees and loses potentially important information regarding spatial variations in cartilage thickness. The objectives of this study were to develop a new method for analyzing patterns of femoral cartilage thickness and to test the following hypotheses: (1) asymptomatic knees have similar thickness patterns, (2) thickness patterns differ with knee OA, and (3) thickness patterns are more sensitive than mean thicknesses to differences between OA conditions. Bi-orthogonal thickness patterns were extracted from thickness maps of segmented magnetic resonance images in the medial, lateral, and trochlea compartments.

The relationship between peak knee extension at heel-strike of walking and the location of thickest femoral cartilage in ACL reconstructed and healthy contralateral knees.

Reports that knee cartilage health is sensitive to kinematic changes, combined with reports of extension loss following ACL reconstruction, underscores the importance of restoring ambulatory knee extension in the context of preventing premature osteoarthritis. The purpose of this study was to test the relationship between individual variations in peak knee extension at heel-strike of walking and the anterior-posterior location of thickest cartilage in the medial and lateral femoral condyles of healthy contralateral and ACL reconstructed knees. In vivo gait analysis and knee MR images were collected from 29 subjects approximately 2 years after unilateral ACL reconstruction.

Three-dimensional knee moments of ACL reconstructed and control subjects during gait, stair ascent, and stair descent.

Changes in knee mechanics following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) have been implicated as a contributor to the development of premature osteoarthritis (OA). However, changes in ambulatory loading in this population have not been well documented. While the magnitude of the external knee moment vector is a major factor in loading at the knee, there is not a comprehensive understanding of the changes in the individual components of the vector following ACL reconstruction.

Variations in the three-dimensional location and orientation of the ACL in healthy subjects relative to patients after transtibial ACL reconstruction.

Recent reports have indicated that anatomical placement of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) graft is an important factor for restoration of joint function following ACL reconstruction. The objective of this study was to address a need for a better understanding of anatomical variations in ACL position and orientation within the joint. Specifically, variations in the ACL anatomy were assessed by testing for side-to-side ACL footprint location symmetry in a healthy population relative to the operative and contralateral knee in a patient population after traditional transtibial single-bundle ACL reconstruction.

Mechanics of the anterior interval of the knee using open dynamic MRI.

Background: The anterior interval of the knee has been defined as the space between the infrapatellar fat pad and patellar tendon anteriorly, and the anterior border of the tibia and the transverse meniscal ligament posteriorly. Investigation of the normal kinematics of this region is necessary as we begin to appreciate the significant impact that pathologic processes of the anterior interval have on the knee.

Methods: Non-weight bearing and weight bearing dynamic MRIs of 20 healthy knees were evaluated at 30 degrees intervals from 0 degrees to 120 degrees flexion.

Differences in tibial rotation during walking in ACL reconstructed and healthy contralateral knees.

This study tested the hypotheses that in patients with a successful anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, the internal-external rotation, varus-valgus, and knee flexion position of reconstructed knees would be different from uninjured contralateral knees during walking. Twenty-six subjects with unilateral ACL reconstructions (avg 31 years, 1.7 m, 68 kg, 15 female, 24 months past reconstruction) and no other history of serious lower limb injury walked at a self-selected speed in the gait laboratory, with the uninjured contralateral knee as a matched control.

Graft orientation influences the knee flexion moment during walking in patients with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament graft orientation has been proposed as a potential mechanism for failure of single-bundle anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and has been considered important in the restoration of normal ambulatory knee mechanics.

Purpose: To evaluate the possibility that patients adapt their mechanics of walking to the orientation of the anterior cruciate ligament graft. This was determined by testing the hypothesis that peak external knee flexion moment (net quadriceps moment) during walking in patients with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction is correlated with coronal and sagittal anterior cruciate ligament graft orientations.

Gait mechanics influence healthy cartilage morphology and osteoarthritis of the knee.

The response of healthy and diseased cartilage of the knee to the mechanics of walking is examined, with the goal of providing insight into the relationship between the kinematics and kinetics of the knee during walking and the maintenance of cartilage health. The combination of information from three-dimensional thickness models of cartilage derived from magnetic resonance imaging and the analysis of the interaction between load at the knee and kinematic changes during walking associated with loss of the anterior cruciate ligament demonstrated the importance of considering walking mechanics as an important factor in the initiation and progression of osteoarthritis. In particular, this material suggests that knee cartilage becomes conditioned to loading and to the large number of repetitive cycles of loading that occur during walking and that healthy cartilage homeostasis is maintained as long as there are no changes to the normal patterns of locomotion, the structure of the knee joint, or cartilage biology.