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Cartilage defect location and stiffness predispose the tibiofemoral joint to aberrant loading conditions during stance phase of gait.

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVES:The current study quantified the influence of cartilage defect location on the tibiofemoral load distribution during gait. Furthermore, changes in local mechanical stiffness representative for matrix damage or bone ingrowth were investigated. This may provide insights in the mechanical factors contributing to cartilage degeneration in the presence of an articular cartilage defect. METHODS:The load distribution following cartilage defects was calculated using a musculoskeletal model that included tibiofemoral and patellofemoral joints with 6 degrees-of-freedom. Circular cartilage defects of 100 mm2 were created at different locations in the tibiofemoral contact geometry. By assigning different mechanical properties to these defect locations, softening and hardening of the tissue were evaluated. RESULTS:Results indicate that cartilage defects located at the load-bearing area only affect the load distribution of the involved compartment. Cartilage defects in the central part of the tibia plateau and anterior-central part of the medial femoral condyle present the largest influence on load distribution. Softening at the defect location results in overloading, i.e., increased contact pressure and compressive strains, of the surrounding tissue. In contrast, inside the defect, the contact pressure decreases and the compressive strain increases. Hardening at the defect location presents the opposite results in load distribution compared to softening. Sensitivity analysis reveals that the surrounding contact pressure, contact force and compressive strain alter significantly when the elastic modulus is below 7 MPa or above 18 MPa. CONCLUSION:Alterations in local mechanical behavior within the high load bearing area resulted in aberrant loading conditions, thereby potentially affecting the homeostatic balance not only at the defect but also at the tissue surrounding and opposing the defect. Especially, cartilage softening predisposes the tissue to loads that may contribute to accelerated risk of cartilage degeneration and the initiation or progression towards osteoarthritis of the whole compartment.

SUBMITTER: Zevenbergen L

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6191138 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Cartilage defect location and stiffness predispose the tibiofemoral joint to aberrant loading conditions during stance phase of gait.

Zevenbergen Lianne L Smith Colin R CR Van Rossom Sam S Thelen Darryl G DG Famaey Nele N Vander Sloten Jos J Jonkers Ilse I

PloS one 20181016 10

<h4>Objectives</h4>The current study quantified the influence of cartilage defect location on the tibiofemoral load distribution during gait. Furthermore, changes in local mechanical stiffness representative for matrix damage or bone ingrowth were investigated. This may provide insights in the mechanical factors contributing to cartilage degeneration in the presence of an articular cartilage defect.<h4>Methods</h4>The load distribution following cartilage defects was calculated using a musculosk ...[more]

PMID: 30325946

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Project description:BackgroundQuantification of dynamic biomechanical strain in articular cartilage in vivo; in situ using noninvasive MRI techniques is desirable and may potentially be used to assess joint pathology.PurposeTo demonstrate the use of static mechanical loading and continuous 3D-MRI acquisition of the human knee joint in vivo to measure the strain in the tibiofemoral articular cartilage.Study typeProspective.SubjectsFive healthy human volunteers (four women, one man; age 25.6?±?1.7) underwent MRI at rest, under static mechanical loading condition, and during recovery.Field strength/sequenceA field strength of 3T was used. The sequence used was 3D-continuous golden angle radial sparse parallel (GRASP) MRI and compressed sensing (CS) reconstruction.AssessmentTibiofemoral cartilage deformation maps under loading and during recovery were calculated using an optical flow algorithm. The corresponding Lagrangian strain was calculated in the articular cartilage.Statistical testsRange of displacement and strain in each subject, and the resulting mean and standard deviation, were calculated.ResultsDuring the loading condition, the cartilage displacement in the direction of loading ranged from a minimum of -673.6?±?121.9 ?m to a maximum of 726.5?±?169.5 ?m. Corresponding strain ranged from a minimum of -7.0?±?4.2% to a maximum of 5.4?±?1.6%. During the recovery condition, the cartilage displacement in the same direction reduced to a minimum of -613.0?±?129.5 ?m and a maximum of 555.7?±?311.4 ?m. The corresponding strain range reduced to a minimum of -1.6?±?7.5% to a maximum of 4.2?±?2.6%.Data conclusionThis study shows the feasibility of using static mechanical loading with continuous GRASP-MRI acquisition to measure the strain in the articular cartilage. By measuring strain during the loading and recovery phases, dynamic strain information in the articular cartilage might be able to be investigated.Level of evidence2 Technical Efficacy: Stage 1 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2020;51:426-434.

Project description:Background:Some studies have suggested that altered tibiofemoral cartilage contact behavior (arthrokinematics) may contribute to long-term cartilage degeneration, potentially leading to tibiofemoral osteoarthritis. However, few studies have assessed normal tibiofemoral arthrokinematics during dynamic activities. Purpose:To characterize tibiofemoral arthrokinematics during the impact phase of level walking and downhill running. Study Design:Descriptive laboratory study. Methods:Arthrokinematic data were collected on uninjured knees of 44 participants (mean age, 20.7 ± 6.6 years). Using a dynamic stereoradiographic imaging system with superimposed 3-dimensional bone models from computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of participant-specific tibiofemoral joints, arthrokinematics were assessed during the first 15% of the gait cycle during level walking and the first 10% of the gait cycle during downhill running. Results:During level walking and downhill running, the medial compartment had a greater cartilage contact area versus the lateral compartment. Both compartments had a significantly less cartilage contact area during running versus walking (medial compartment gait cycle affected: 8%-10%; lateral compartment gait cycle affected: 5%-10%). Further, medial and lateral compartment tibiofemoral contact paths were significantly more posterior and longer during downhill running. Conclusion:There was a decreased tibiofemoral cartilage contact area during downhill running compared with level walking, suggesting that underlying bone morphology may play a key role in determining the size of cartilage contact regions. Clinical Relevance:This study provides the first data characterizing tibiofemoral cartilage contact patterns during level walking and downhill running. These results provide evidence in support of performing biomechanical assessments during both level walking and downhill running to obtain a comprehensive picture of tibiofemoral cartilage behavior after clinical interventions.

Project description:Objective: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a multifactorial musculoskeletal disorder affecting mostly weight-bearing joints. Chondrocyte response to load is modulated by inflammatory mediators and factors involved in extracellular cartilage matrix (ECM) maintenance, but regulatory mechanisms are not fully clarified yet. By using a recently proposed experimental model combining biomechanical data with cartilage molecular information, basally and following ex-vivo load application, we aimed at improving the understanding of human cartilage response to cyclic mechanical compressive stimuli by including cartilage original anatomical position and OA degree as independent factors. Methods: 19 mono-compartmental Knee OA patients undergoing total knee replacement were recruited. Cartilage explants from four different femoral condyles zones and with different degeneration levels were collected. The response of cartilage samples, pooled according to OA score and anatomical position was tested ex-vivo in a bioreactor. Mechanical stimulation was obtained via a 3-MPa 1-Hz sinusoidal compressive load for 45-min to replicate average knee loading during normal walking. Samples were analysed for chondrocyte gene expression and ECM factor release. Results: Non parametric univariate and multivariate (generalized linear mixed model) analysis was performed to evaluate the effect of compression and IL-1β stimulation in relationship to the anatomical position, local disease severity and clinical parameters with a level of significance set at 0.05. We observed an anti-inflammatory effect of compression inducing a significant downmodulation of IL-6 and IL-8 levels correlated to the anatomical regions, but not to OA score. Moreover, ADAMTS5, PIICP, COMP and CS were upregulated by compression, whereas COL-2CAV was downmodulated, all in relationship to the anatomical position and to the OA degree. Conclusion: While unconfined compression testing may not be fully representative of the in-vivo biomechanical situation, this study demonstrates the importance to consider the original cartilage anatomical position for a reliable biomolecular analysis of knee OA metabolism following mechanical stimulation.

Project description:BackgroundImaging cannot be performed during natural weightbearing in biomechanical studies using conventional closed-bore MRI, which has necessitated simulating weightbearing load on the joint. Upright, open MRI (UO-MRI) allows for joint imaging during natural weightbearing and may have the potential to better characterize the biomechanical effect of tibiofemoral pathology involving soft tissues. However open MRI scanners have lower field strengths than closed-bore scanners, which limits the image quality that can be obtained. Thus, there is a need to establish the reliability of measurements in upright weightbearing postures obtained using UO-MRI.MethodsKnees of five participants with prior anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture were scanned standing in a 0.5 T upright open MRI scanner using a 3D DESS sequence. Manual segmentation of cartilage regions in contact was performed and centroids of these contact areas were automatically determined for the medial and lateral tibiofemoral compartments. Inter-rater, test-retest, and intra-rater reliability were determined and quantified using intra-class correlation (ICC3,1), standard error of measurement (SEM), and smallest detectable change with 95% confidence (SDC95). Accuracy was assessed by using a high-resolution 7 T MRI as a reference.ResultsContact area and centroid location reliability (inter-rater, test-retest, and intra-rater) for sagittal scans in the medial compartment had ICC3,1 values from 0.95-0.99 and 0.98-0.99 respectively. In the lateral compartment, contact area and centroid location reliability ICC3,1 values ranged from 0.83-0.91 and 0.95-1.00 respectively. The smallest detectable change in contact area was 1.28% in the medial compartment and 0.95% in the lateral compartment. Contact area and centroid location reliability for coronal scans in the medial compartment had ICC3,1 values from 0.90-0.98 and 0.98-1.00 respectively, and in the lateral compartment ICC3,1 ranged from 0.76-0.94 and 0.93-1.00 respectively. The smallest detectable change in contact area was 0.65% in the medial compartment and 1.41% in the lateral compartment. Contact area was accurate to within a mean absolute error of 11.0 mm2.ConclusionsKnee contact area and contact centroid location can be assessed in upright weightbearing MRI with good to excellent reliability. The lower field strength used in upright, weightbearing MRI does not compromise the reliability of tibiofemoral contact area and centroid location measures.

Project description:BackgroundDegeneration of the tibiofemoral articular cartilage often develops in patients with posterior cruciate ligament deficiency, yet little research has focused on the etiology of this specific type of cartilage degeneration. In this study, we hypothesized that posterior cruciate ligament deficiency changes the location and magnitude of cartilage deformation in the tibiofemoral joint.MethodsFourteen patients with a posterior cruciate ligament injury in one knee and the contralateral side intact participated in the study. First, both knees were imaged with use of a specific magnetic resonance imaging sequence to create three-dimensional knee models of the surfaces of the bone and cartilage. Next, each patient performed a single leg lunge as images were recorded with a dual fluoroscopic system at 0 degrees, 30 degrees, 60 degrees, 75 degrees, 90 degrees, 105 degrees, and 120 degrees of knee flexion. Finally, the three-dimensional knee models and fluoroscopic images were used to reproduce the in vivo knee position at each flexion angle with use of a previously described image-matching method. With use of these series of knee models, the location and magnitude of peak tibiofemoral cartilage deformation at each flexion angle were compared between the intact contralateral and posterior cruciate ligament-deficient knees.ResultsIn the medial compartment of the posterior cruciate ligament-deficient knees, the location and magnitude of peak cartilage deformation were significantly changed, compared with those in the intact contralateral knees, between 75 degrees and 120 degrees of flexion, with a more anterior and medial location of peak cartilage deformation on the tibial plateau as well as increased deformation of the cartilage. In the lateral compartment, no significant differences in the location or magnitude of peak cartilage deformation were found between the intact and posterior cruciate ligament-deficient knees.ConclusionsThe altered kinematics associated with posterior cruciate ligament deficiency resulted in a shift of the tibiofemoral contact location and an increase in cartilage deformation in the medial compartment beyond 75 degrees of knee flexion. The magnitude of the medial contact shift in the posterior cruciate ligament-deficient knee was on the same order as that of the anterior contact shift.

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Cartilage defect location and stiffness predispose the tibiofemoral joint to aberrant loading conditions during stance phase of gait.

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Cartilage defect location and stiffness predispose the tibiofemoral joint to aberrant loading conditions during stance phase of gait.

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