The Anterior Cruciate Ligament of the Knee Joint Under Mechanical Constraints

Abstract

The human knee joint is a complicated structure consisting of several parts interacting with each other in order to provide motion and stability. The major ligaments of the knee are the medial and lateral collateral ones (MCL, LCL) and the anterior and posterior cruciate ones (ACL, PCL) (Fig. la). The research studies on the knee joint aim to clarify the aetiology of injuries and to improve the medical treatment. In this context it is crucial to understand the function of each constituent part of the joint. ACL, which restrains the forward motion of tibia, is the most vulnerable component of the knee joint and attracts increased biomechanical attention. Unfortunately experimental studies are prohibitively complicated: cadaveric, animal or synthetic specimens do not display the in-vivo behaviour of the human ligament and it is difficult to impose realistic boundary conditions. As a result numerical methods are employed since they are advantageous for parametric analyses and accurate simulation of the boundary conditions combined with low cost.