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Biomechanics of Human Joints

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Orthopaedic Biomechanics in Sports Medicine

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Abstract

The biomechanics of human joints is complex and play a fundamental role in human locomotion, joint stability, and support. The human joint inherent structure and articulating cartilages surface are driven by muscles forces that react to the kinematics preserving stability by optimizing the power capacity needed to achieve a given task. For example, a description of the shoulder joint shows an articulating surface composed of the proximal humerus and the glenoid. The humeral head rotation is constrained by a structure composed of ligaments, tendons joining to form a capsule, the fibro cartilaginous labrum, which jointly provide the static-dynamic stability needed to the shoulder joint. The contribution of the rotator cuff muscles provides the mechanism and support to maintain natural motion to the joint providing a combined force effort to withstand torques, overload, and excursions of the muscles. Their location and orientation around the glenohumeral head form a mapping function into maintaining a certain work capacity that is optimum to the joint. Excess load, cyclic loading, and fatigue will increase the risk of tear and injury to the rotator cuff and connective ligaments around the joint. Any disruption to the joint connective structure causes restrictive motions to the joint often accompanied by pain. When and how the joint rotator cuff repair takes place requires measurable clinical outcomes which are still being investigated and evaluated as new biologics are making headways and research is providing an insight into new possibilities to help understand the shoulder joint complexity and its function.

This chapter provides an overview into understanding the mechanics of the human joint and shoulder joint in particular, the contribution of the musculoskeletal force structure to the kinematics and kinetics of the joint. It also discusses steps in developing 3D shoulder models based on CT scans images needed for both the analysis and design of patient-specific implants. This chapter also discusses the Finite Element research conducted in previous studies in relation to the shoulder, rotator cuff and their future use in simulation of surgical procedures used to make assessments of outcome driven procedures. Practical references are used to highlight the importance of the joint kinematics, stability, and the various factors that can adversely affect the glenohumeral joint during various abduction and rotation.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic & Spine Institute NorthShore University Health System, Evanston, Illinois, USA

    Farid Amirouche

  2. Department of Orthopeadic Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, USA

    Farid Amirouche

  3. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic & Spine Institute NorthShore University HealthSystem, Skokie, Illinois, USA

    Jason Koh

  4. University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA

    Jason Koh

  5. Northwestern University McCormick School of Engineering, Evanston, Illinois, USA

    Jason Koh

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  1. Farid Amirouche
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Orthopaedic & Spine Institute, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Skokie, IL, USA

    Jason Koh

  2. IRCCS – Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute – 2nd Orthopaedic and Trauma Unit, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Stefano Zaffagnini

  3. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan

    Ryosuke Kuroda

  4. Department of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, Campus Bio-Medico University, Trigoria, Rome, Italy

    Umile Giuseppe Longo

  5. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic & Spine Institute, NorthShore University Health System, Evanston, IL, USA

    Farid Amirouche

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Amirouche, F., Koh, J. (2021). Biomechanics of Human Joints. In: Koh, J., Zaffagnini, S., Kuroda, R., Longo, U.G., Amirouche, F. (eds) Orthopaedic Biomechanics in Sports Medicine. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81549-3_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81549-3_1

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