A musculoskeletal model of a subject specific knee joint with menisci during the stance phase of a walk cycle

Movement simulation and musculoskeletal modeling can predict muscle forces, but current methods are hindered by simplified representations of joint structures. Simulations that incorporate muscle forces, an anatomical representation of the natural knee, and contact mechanics would be a powerful tool in orthopedics. This study developed a subject specific computational model of the knee with menisci within the multibody framework. The model was validated with experimental measurements from a mechanical knee simulator and then it was incorporated into a neuromusculoskeletal model of a lower limb. The detailed model of a subject specific knee was developed in MD.ADAMS (MSC Software Corporation, Santa Ana, CA). This model includes femur, tibia, patella as well as lateral and medial meniscus geometries and knee ligaments of a subject specific cadaver knee (female: 78 years old, 59 kg right knee). A deformable contact with constant coefficients was applied to define the contact force between patella, femur, and tibia articular cartilages.