2018 Volume Annual56 Issue Abstract Pages S24
Knowledge of the behavior of articular cartilage contact is one of the requirements in designing artificial joints that reproduce precise finger functions. The thumb has a different role from the other fingers, and when one of the other fingers moves, the thumb moves to the opposite position, enabling pinching and grasping, which are essential to activities of daily living (ADLs). The interphalangeal (IP), metacarpophalangeal (MCP), and trapeziometacarpal (TMC) joints give the thumb more degrees of freedom than the other fingers. The purpose of the present in vivo study was to clarify the static three-dimensional articular cartilage contact behavior of the thumb IP and MCP joints in positions of the thumb commonly used in ADLs (i.e., pinch and grasp positions) and also to analyze the changes of the articular cartilage contact area and movements three-dimensionally using magnetic resonance imaging.
