Biomechanical Modelling to Characterize Soft Tissue Contributions to Hip Joint Stability and Loading Mechanics

背景一个健康和功能良好的肌肉骨骼系统对于我们人口的整体健康，增加预期寿命，医疗保健系统和可持续经济至关重要。提高对肌肉骨骼髋关节功能的理解有助于更好地描述健康受试者的机械性能和损伤机制。虽然肌肉和韧带的软组织贡献是动员和稳定髋关节的基础，但目前还不清楚我们如何将它们纳入计算模型和模拟中，以更好地检查受试者特定的关节力学和不利的负载条件。目标.这个跨学科研究计划的长期目标是实施生物力学建模和仿真框架，以表征特定于受试者的软组织对髋关节的贡献。为了实现这一目标，我们将开发3D应变映射成像技术，以检查软组织对关节负荷和稳定性的贡献。将使用磁共振成像（MRI）扫描受试者下肢，同时定制关节负荷测力计将向髋关节施加已知负荷。将对载荷条件进行参数化，以了解哪些软组织组件有助于动态稳定性。我们将开发多维扩散成像技术来检查软组织结构和纤维取向与关节稳定性之间的关系。将制定一种新的扩散张量成像方法，用于加权MRI序列，以检查软组织结构（肌肉、肌腱、关节囊/交叉韧带）。这将检查组织各向异性和收缩方向的个别材料属性之间的关系。我们将开发一个计算模拟软件包，以检查关节载荷力学和动态软组织载荷下的不利条件。动态应变映射和扩散张量成像分析将用于重建稳健的受试者特定多尺度肌肉骨骼和有限元模拟，以检查动态髋关节稳定性并确定失效的不利条件。冲击最重要的发现将帮助科学家和工程师进一步了解健康稳定的髋关节的软组织复杂性。这也将有助于装备专职医疗临床医生管理适当的预/康复协议和团，因为他们将了解哪些软组织负责稳定性。这也将使外科医生能够进行最佳和最安全的特定手术，以实现最佳功能和恢复，因为他们将了解在髋关节置换术或关节镜手术期间安全切除或避免哪些组织结构。该计划将培养学生推进新的动态关节载荷，生物力学成像，计算建模和模拟技术，以及为他们准备不同的职业道路，需要多学科的科学和工程经验。

Background. A healthy and well-functioning musculoskeletal system is paramount for our population's overall health, increasing life expectancy, healthcare system, and sustainable economy. An improved understanding of musculoskeletal hip joint function can help better characterize the mechanical performance and injury mechanisms in healthy subjects. Although soft tissue contributions of muscles and ligaments are fundamental to mobilize and stabilize the hip joint, it is unclear how we can incorporate them into computational models and simulations to better examine subject-specific joint mechanics and adverse loading conditions. Objectives. The long-term goal of this interdisciplinary research program is to implement a biomechanical modelling and simulation framework to characterize subject-specific soft tissue contributions to the hip joint. To achieve this, we will develop 3D strain mapping imaging techniques to examine the contributions of soft tissues towards joint loading and stability. Subject lower-limbs will be scanned using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) while a custom joint loading ergometer will apply a known load to the hip. Loading conditions will be parameterized to understand which soft tissue components contribute to dynamic stability. We will develop multi-dimensional diffusion imaging techniques to examine soft tissue architecture and relationships between fibre orientation and joint stability. A novel diffusion tensor imaging method will be formulated for the weighted MRI sequences to examine soft tissue structures (muscles, tendons, capsular/cruciate ligaments). This will examine relationships between individual material properties of tissue anisotropy and contractile directions. We will develop a computational simulations package to examine joint loading mechanics and the adverse conditions under dynamic soft tissue loading. The dynamic strain mapping and diffusion tensor imaging analyses will be used to reconstruct robust subject-specific multiscale musculoskeletal and finite element simulations to examine dynamic hip joint stability and determine the adverse conditions for failure. Impact. The most important findings will help scientists and engineers further understand the soft tissue complexities of a healthy and stable hip joint. This will also help equip allied health clinicians to administer adequate pre/rehabilitation protocols and regiments, as they will learn which soft tissues are responsible for stability. This will also equip surgeons to perform the best and safest subject-specific surgery for optimal function and recovery, as they will learn which tissue structures to safely remove or avoid during hip arthroplasty or arthroscopy surgery. The program will train students to advance novel dynamic joint loading, biomechanical imaging, and computational modelling and simulations techniques as well as prepare them for diverse career paths that necessitate multidisciplinary science and engineering experience.