A model for the function and failure of the meniscus.

The meniscus has been modelled as a toroid of constant wedge-shaped cross-section resting on a compliant base and loaded in compression from above. This simple model allows the cross-sectional shape and the mechanical properties of the fibrocartilage to be varied systematically in order to determine the essential features of the response of the meniscus to compressive load. A finite element representation of this model shows that a circumferential tensile strain is developed, irrespective of the cross-sectional shape or the elastic moduli of the fibrocartilage, to balance the applied load. A horizontal boundary between regions of positive and negative shear strains and a region of radial tensile strain are also developed. These regions coincide with the locations of horizontal and longitudinal tears which are the most commonly observed lesions of the meniscus. The model shows that the posterior segment of the medial meniscus is most vulnerable to injury.

[1]  Seedhom Bb.  Loadbearing function of the menisci. , 1976 .

[2]  D G Wilder,et al.  Mechanical changes in the knee after meniscectomy. , 1976, The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume.

[3]  I. Smillie.  Injuries of the Knee Joint , 1946, The Indian Medical Gazette.

[4]  Robert Bruce Lindsay,et al.  Physical Properties of Crystals , 1957 .

[5]  R. Aspden,et al.  Collagen orientations in the meniscus of the knee joint. , 1985, Journal of anatomy.

[6]  B B Seedhom,et al.  Transmission of the Load in the Knee Joint with Special Reference to the Role of the Menisci Part I: Anatomy, Analysis and Apparatus , 1979 .

[7]  P. Bullough,et al.  The strength of the menisci of the knee as it relates to their fine structure. , 1970, The Journal of bone and joint surgery. British volume.

[8]  A. M. Ahmed,et al.  In-vitro measurement of static pressure distribution in synovial joints--Part I: Tibial surface of the knee. , 1983, Journal of biomechanical engineering.

[9]  M. Jayson,et al.  Collagen in Health and Disease , 1978, The Lancet.

[10]  E. Baer,et al.  Collagen; ultrastructure and its relation to mechanical properties as a function of ageing , 1972, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences.

[11]  B B Seedhom,et al.  Forces during squatting and rising from a deep squat. , 1982, Engineering in medicine.

[12]  B B Seedhom,et al.  Transmission of the Load in the Knee Joint with Special Reference to the Role of the Menisci: Part II: Experimental Results, Discussion and Conclusions , 1979 .

[13]  D. Eyre,et al.  The distribution of different molecular species of collagen in fibrous, elastic and hyaline cartilages of the pig. , 1975, Biochemical Journal.

[14]  H. Elden.  Physical properties of collagen fibers. , 1968, International review of connective tissue research.

[15]  D. Shakespeare,et al.  The bucket-handle tear of the meniscus. A clinical and arthrographic study. , 1983, The Journal of bone and joint surgery. British volume.

[16]  J. Z. Zhu,et al.  The finite element method , 1977 .

[17]  M. A. R. Freeman,et al.  Adult Articular Cartilage , 1973 .

[18]  Oliver H. Lowry,et al.  THE DETERMINATION OF COLLAGEN AND ELASTIN IN TISSUES, WITH RESULTS OBTAINED IN VARIOUS NORMAL TISSUES FROM DIFFERENT SPECIES , 1941 .