COBRE: UD: PROJ 2: THE OSTEOARTHRITIC KNEE: A BIOMECHANICAL ANALYSIS

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The long-term goal of this research is to determine the role that abnormal joint contact forces and stresses contribute to the development of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. To achieve this goal, several shorter-term goals must first be realized. These goals provide the framework for the proposed project and the foundation for continued OA research. The five year goal of this project is to develop subject specific biomechanical models of the knee that are sensitive to inter-subject variations in joint geometry and muscle activations for the purposes of estimating patellofemoral and tibiofemoral contact mechanics (i.e., contact forces and stresses). It is our thesis that abnormal contact mechanics during activities of daily living (ADLs) are associated with the onset and progression of knee OA. The models created in this project will be used to establish normal ranges of contact force and stress for healthy subjects performing 5 ADLs (walking, stair ascent & descent, sit-to-stand & stand-to-sit). These data will then be used as a reference to assess if patients recently diagnosed with mild OA exhibit abnormal contact mechanics while performing similar movements. The organization of this project is divided into two distinct aims and may be summarized as follows: Aim 1: The goal of Aim 1 is to define normal ranges of patellofemoral and tibiofemoral contact mechanics for healthy subjects performaing the 5 ADLs. Aim 2: To determine if larger than normal patellofemoral and tibiofemoral contact mechanics are characteristic of the OA knee during the early stages of the disease. Joint contact mechanics for individuals recently diagnosed with mild OA, but not yet chronically symptomatic will be estimated using the approach outlined in Aim 1. It is our hypothesis that individuals with early onset OA will have larger contact forces and stresses than healthy individuals performing similar ADLs. Showing larger than normal contact forces and stresses in these patients would support our hypothesis that abnormal contact mechanics are associated with the onset and progression of knee OA.