In Vivo Assessment of Articular Contact at Radiocarpal Joint during Dorsal/Palmar Flexion and Ulnar/Radial Deviation

Abstract

The radiocarpal joint transfers loads from the forearm to the hand, and facilitates fine tasks of the hand and fingers by providing a considerable degree of stability. Investigations of in vivo articular contact behavior at the radiocarpal joint are important for understanding the biomechanical functions under physiological loading. Further, knowledge about the biomechanics of the radiocarpal joint would provide a useful clinical indicator for assessing the joint instability and diagnosing osteoarthritis. The objective of this study was to assess in vivo articular contact behavior between the radius and scaphoid and between the radius and lunate using a two-dimensional (2D) to three-dimensional (3D) image matching technique. Four wrist joints of four normal male subjects were enrolled in this study. Biplanar X-ray images were taken during dorsal/ palmar flexion and ulnar/radial deviation of the wrist joint. The articular contact was estimated from the joint space distance smaller than the mean cartilage layer thickness measured using an MRI scanner. The distributions of estimated contact area and the contact point locations varied markedly with wrist positions. The present result would be able to provide a fundamental knowledge about the biomechanics of the wrist joint.