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Development and Validation of a Computational Model to Study the Effect of Foot Constraint on Ankle Injury due to External Rotation

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Abstract

Recent studies, using two different manners of foot constraint, potted and taped, document altered failure characteristics in the human cadaver ankle under controlled external rotation of the foot. The posterior talofibular ligament (PTaFL) was commonly injured when the foot was constrained in potting material, while the frequency of deltoid ligament injury was higher for the taped foot. In this study an existing multibody computational modeling approach was validated to include the influence of foot constraint, determine the kinematics of the joint under external foot rotation, and consequently obtain strains in various ligaments. It was hypothesized that the location of ankle injury due to excessive levels of external foot rotation is a function of foot constraint. The results from this model simulation supported this hypothesis and helped to explain the mechanisms of injury in the cadaver experiments. An excessive external foot rotation might generate a PTaFL injury for a rigid foot constraint, and an anterior deltoid ligament injury for a pliant foot constraint. The computational models may be further developed and modified to simulate the human response for different shoe designs, as well as on various athletic shoe–surface interfaces, so as to provide a computational basis for optimizing athletic performance with minimal injury risk.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dr. Jennifer S. Wayne for discussions on our modeling approach, Mr. Mark Villwock and Dr. Eric Meyer for help during the experimental ankle tests, Dr. Seungik Baek for providing the software MIMICS, and Mr. Clifford Beckett for technical assistance in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Orthopaedic Biomechanics Laboratories, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Michigan State University, A407 East Fee Hall, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    Feng Wei & Roger C. Haut

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    Stanley C. Hunley

  3. Department of Kinesiology, College of Education, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    John W. Powell

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  1. Feng Wei
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  2. Stanley C. Hunley
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  4. Roger C. Haut
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Correspondence to Roger C. Haut.

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Associate Editor Stefan Duma oversaw the review of this article.

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Wei, F., Hunley, S.C., Powell, J.W. et al. Development and Validation of a Computational Model to Study the Effect of Foot Constraint on Ankle Injury due to External Rotation. Ann Biomed Eng 39, 756–765 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-010-0234-9

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