Abstract:
"A Strain Map of the Human Distal Tibia During the Stance Phase of Walking: A Combined Approach Using Dynamic Cadaver Simulations and Finite Element Analysis"
This paper details a combined approach using dynamic cadaver simulations and finite element analysis (FEA) to create a three-dimensional strain map of the human distal tibia during the stance phase of walking. The methodology involved preparing a cadaver extremity in a dynamic gait simulator to reproduce the kinematics and kinetics of walking. Nine strain gage rosettes were attached to the distal third of the tibial shaft to measure strains during multiple walking trials. The measured strain data were then used to drive a finite element model of the bone's cortex, which was created from a digitized model of the specimen. A numerical routine was developed to apply an arbitrary load state to the model and use a least squares optimization algorithm to adjust the load until the model's predicted strains matched the empirically measured strains. This process allowed the researchers to generate a full-field, three-dimensional strain map without making assumptions about the loading environment. The study acknowledges limitations, including the use of a single specimen and assumptions of linear, homogeneous bone tissue, but notes that the predicted strains align with existing literature. The findings provide valuable boundary conditions for more detailed biomechanical models of local phenomena within actively loaded bone tissue.
