Finite Element Modeling in the Osteoarthritis Patient Knee Joint and Evaluation Method of the Unloader Knee Braces

Abstract

The knee braces are widely used for rehabilitation and treatment in the knee osteoarthritis patient. The purpose of this study is to establish biomechanical analysis method of the knee brace by integrating a finite element analysis model of the knee joint in the knee osteoarthritis patient, a mechanical model of the knee brace, and a walking generation model representing human walking. The finite element analysis model of the knee joint was constructed based on medical imaging technology, and the joint contact force obtained from the walking generation model was assumed to be a boundary condition in the finite element analysis. This study evaluated the treatment of three types of knee braces : valgus knee brace, rotation knee brace and valgus-rotation knee brace. These knee brace models were simply represented by moment forces affecting the femur. The contact pressure distributions occurring on the medial and lateral meniscus at three phases during walking were calculated by the proposed models. It was found that the contact pressure distribution of the medial meniscus while wearing all the knee braces reduced, compared with that without the knee brace.