Predicting anterior tibial translations in pediatric ACL-deficient knees with finite element knee models

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries frequently occur in young individuals. However, knee biomechanics in this population, especially among adolescents, are poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to use finite element (FE) knee models to investigate anterior tibial translations during...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of biomechanics Vol. 189; p. 112821
Main Authors: Mallinos, Alexandria, Jones, Kerwyn
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2025
Elsevier Limited
Subjects:
ACL-deficient
Adolescent
Adolescents
Anterior cruciate ligament
Anterior Cruciate Ligament - physiopathology
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries
Biomechanical Phenomena
Biomechanics
Cadavers
Child
Computed tomography
Female
Finite Element Analysis
Humans
Joint and ligament injuries
Kinematics
Knee
Knee Joint - physiopathology
Lachman test
Male
Mathematical models
Models, Biological
Patients
Pediatric
Pediatrics
Performance evaluation
Pivot shift test
Simulation
Software
Teenagers
Tibia - physiopathology
Translations
ACL-deficient
Lachman test
Finite element analysis
Pediatric
Anterior cruciate ligament
Pivot shift test
ISSN:0021-9290, 1873-2380, 1873-2380
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries frequently occur in young individuals. However, knee biomechanics in this population, especially among adolescents, are poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to use finite element (FE) knee models to investigate anterior tibial translations during the Lachman test (LT) and pivot shift test (PST) in ACL-deficient pediatric knees. Computed tomography scans from 22 subjects (aged 9–18 years; 6 females, 16 males) were used to create FE knee models. Cadaveric, experimental data of ACL-deficient knees were used to validate the accuracy of the models’ anterior tibial displacement predictions. Simulated anterior tibial translations for the LT (21.2 mm at 134 N) and PST (7.0 mm) showed no significant differences from the experimental cadaver results (p = 0.37; p = 0.46), confirming model validity. Comparisons with ACL-intact, baseline models revealed significantly increased anterior tibial displacements in ACL-deficient knees under identical loading conditions (p < 0.001), emphasizing the ACL’s stabilizing role in both translation and rotational mechanics. The study demonstrates the use of FE methods to simulate physiologically relevant pediatric knee biomechanics and highlights their potential as a preclinical tool for evaluating the biomechanical effects of surgical techniques and rehabilitation interventions. In doing so, this study provides insight into the development of personalized treatment strategies, further supporting clinical advancements in this understudied demographic.
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ISSN:0021-9290
1873-2380
1873-2380
DOI:10.1016/j.jbiomech.2025.112821