Abstract
The knee is the largest and one of the most biomechanically demanded joints in the human body, as it is located between the two longest lever arms of the body and its most powerful muscles. Knee stability through the range of motion is ensured by both static and dynamic structures that work in concert to prevent excessive movement or instability, which may occur across multiple planes of motion. While offering a wide range of motions, these structures have to meticulously balance the compressive forces across the knee joint. Orientation, shape, and material properties of the bony structure and dynamic stabilizers, including ligaments, the capsule, and musculotendinous soft tissues, are essential for knee stability. Even small changes to any of these parameters will alter the inherently complex interactions between these structures and ultimately distort overall movement patterns of the knee, consequently impacting alignment, load distribution, and wear of the components forming the knee joint.
Medical intervention is imperative in numerous cases to prevent permanent damages to the knee joint. Both for planning surgical interventions and for satisfactory clinical outcomes, detailed knowledge on physiological load distribution and alignment is essential.
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Kienzle, A., Perka, C.F., Duda, G.N., Gwinner, C. (2020). Load, Alignment, and Wear. In: Oussedik, S., Lustig, S. (eds) Osteotomy About the Knee . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-49055-3_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-49055-3_2
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