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In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the human body. The knee is a modified hinge joint, which permits flexion and extension as well as slight internal and external rotation. The knee is vulnerable to injury and to the development of osteoarthritis. It is often termed a compound joint having tibiofemoral and patellofemoral components. (The fibular collateral ligament is often considered with tibiofemoral components.) Structure The knee is a modified hinge joint, a type of synovial joint, which is composed of three functional compartments: the patellofemoral articulation, consisting of the patella, or "kneecap", and the patellar groove on the front of the femur through which it slides; and the medial and lateral tibiofemoral articulations linking the femur, or thigh bone,

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The femur (ˈfiːmər; : femurs or femora ˈfɛmərə), or thigh bone is the only bone in the thigh. The thigh is the region of the lower limb between the hip and the knee. In many four-legged animals the f

The foot (: feet) is an anatomical structure found in many vertebrates. It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows locomotion. In many animals with feet, the foot is a separat

The human leg is the entire lower limb of the human body, including the foot, thigh or sometimes even the hip or buttock region. The major bones of the leg are the femur (thigh bone), tibia (shin bo

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Actuator With Angle-Dependent Elasticity for Biomimetic Transfemoral Prostheses

Serge Pfeifer

Despite tremendous improvements in recent years, lower-limb prostheses are still inferior to their biological counterparts. Most powered knee joints use impedance control, but it is unknown which impedance profiles are needed to replicate physiological behavior. Recently, we have developed a method to quantify such profiles from conventional gait data. Based on this method, we derive stiffness requirements for knee prostheses, and we propose an actuation concept where physical actuator stiffness changes in function of joint angle. The idea is to express stiffness and moment requirements as functions of angle, and then to combine a series elastic actuator (SEA) with an optimized nonlinear transmission and parallel springs to reproduce the profiles. By considering the angle-dependent stiffness requirement, the upper bound for the impedance in zero-force control could be reduced by a factor of two. We realize this ANGle-dependent ELAstic Actuator (ANGELAA) in a leg, with rubber cords as series elastic elements. Hysteresis in the rubber is accounted for, and knee moment is estimated with a mean error of 0.7 Nm. The nonlinear parallel elasticity creates equilibria near 0◦ as well as 90◦ knee flexion, frequent postures in daily life. Experimental evaluation in a test setup shows force control bandwidth around 5–9 Hz, and a pilot experiment with an amputee subject shows the feasibility of the approach. While weight and power consumption are not optimized in this prototype, the incorporated mechatronic principles may pave the way for cheaper and lighter actuators in artificial legs and in other applications where stiffness requirements depend on kinematic configuration.

2015

Design of patient-specific cutting guides for trochleoplasty

Khawla Belqadhi, Martí Llairó Bargués, Marc Mato Sabat, Corentin Patrick Cyprien Némoz, Benjamin Previdoli, Gauvain Théo Rudler

Trochlear dysplasia is an anatomic anomaly of the knee that is characterized by an abnormal geometry of the trochlea. The normal shape of the trochlea is concave, but when the trochlea is flat, the patient may experience knee pain, instability and a higher risk of patellar dislocations. One of the treatment options for severe trochlear dysplasia is trochleoplasty, where the distal femur is cut and reshaped to create more of a normal groove. However, this procedure depends mainly on the surgeon’s technique and appreciation of the reshape needed, which is different for each patient. Indeed, 4 main types of trochlear dysplasia can be encountered ranging from flat to convex trochlea. In this project, the students will work in close collaboration with a surgeon at CHUV to develop patient-specific cutting guides for trochleoplasty. 3D bone templates from patients MRI/CT scans will be reconstructed. Cutting guides including cutting slots will be designed for a trochleoplasty adapted to the patient’s anatomy. These guides will be positioned very precisely on the patient’s articular surfaces thanks to the bony projections, which are different for each patient. 3D templates of the patent’s knee as well as the patient-specific cutting guides will be manufactured by 3D printing.

A Review on Finite Element Modeling and Simulation of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Dimitar Yuriev Stanev

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) constitutes one of the most important stabilizing tissues of the knee joint whose rapture is very prevalent. ACL reconstruction (ACLR) from a graft is a surgery which yields the best outcome. Taking into account the complicated nature of this operation and the high cost of experiments, finite element (FE) simulations can become a valuable tool for evaluating the surgery in a pre-clinical setting. The present study summarizes, for the first time, the current advancement in ACLR in both clinical and computational level. It also emphasizes on the material modeling and properties of the most popular grafts as well as modeling of different surgery techniques. It can be concluded that more effort is needed to be put toward more realistic simulation of the surgery, including also the use of two bundles for graft representation, graft pretension and artificial grafts. Furthermore, muscles and synovial fluid need to be included, while patellofemoral joint is an important bone that is rarely used. More realistic models are also required for soft tissues, as most articles used isotropic linear elastic models and springs. In summary, accurate and realistic FE analysis in conjunction with multidisciplinary collaboration could contribute to ACLR improvement provided that several important aspects are carefully considered.

FRONTIERS MEDIA SA2020

The foot (: feet) is an anatomical structure found in many vertebrates. It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows locomotion. In many animals with feet, the foot is a separat

The human leg is the entire lower limb of the human body, including the foot, thigh or sometimes even the hip or buttock region. The major bones of the leg are the femur (thigh bone), tibia (shin bo

ME-482: Biomechanics of the musculoskeletal system

The basis for a mechanical description of the musculoskeletal system are presented. This description is based on the concepts of solid mechanics, physiology and anatomy of the musculoskeletal system. Concrete examples of the development of implants are also covered.

BIO-687: Engineering of musculoskeletal system and rehabilitation

This course presents today research questions and methods associated to the musculoskeletal system, its pathologies, and treatment.

ME-484: Numerical methods in biomechanics

Students understand and apply numerical methods (FEM) to answer a research question in biomechanics. They know how to develop, verify and validate multi-physics and multi-scale numerical models. They can analyse and comment results in an oral presentation and a written report.