# BIOMECHANICAL STUDY OF TOTAL KNEE REPLACEMENT

> **NIH NIH R01** · RUSH UNIVERSITY · 1992 · $122,921

## Abstract

This is a continuing study of knee joint mechanics and its relationship to
the treatment of osteoarthritis and total knee arthroplasty.  The present
application focuses on two topics:  patello-femoral mechanics and the
treatment of unicompartmental arthritis using a unicondylar prosthesis.
The general approach to these studies continues to combine biomechanical
functional evaluations of patients in the Gait Laboratory during activities
of daily living with experimental and analytical models of the knee joint
to assist in the analysis and an interpretation of the experimental
results.  We will test the hypothesis that changes in patello-femoral
position between preoperative and postoperative patellar alignment will
produce functional changes in patients following total knee replacement.
These changes will produce extrinsic load changes on the knee joint and
appear as altered patterns of moments sustained by the quadriceps
mechanisms at specific angles of knee flexion.  Patients will be placed
into three groupings according to changes from preoperative alignment in
superior-inferior alignment, medial-lateral and anterior-posterior
directions.  An in vitro cadaver model will be used to quantitate the
intrinsic changes that result from changing the patellar alignment in a
manner identical to those obtained from the radiographic groupings.
Changes in patellar tracking, quadriceps to patellar tendon transfer ratios
and retropatellar forces.  A second hypothesis tests the relationship
between preoperative extrinsic loads on the knee joint during activities of
daily living and the long-term clinical outcome of unicompartmental knee
replacement.  The approach to this study is similar to that taken with the
study of patients treated with high tibial osteotomy.  The influence of
joint laxity in the presence or absence of the ACL may play an important
functional role that can be evaluated using both patient preoperative and
postoperative testing as well as with simulation models to predict the
distribution of load between lateral and medial compartments.  Ultimately,
this information will be useful in identifying functional loading
characteristics that correlate with clinical results and radiographic
changes.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3155129
- **Project number:** 5R01AR020702-14
- **Recipient organization:** RUSH UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** THOMAS P ANDRIACCHI
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1992
- **Award amount:** $122,921
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1978-04-01 → 1993-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3155129

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3155129, BIOMECHANICAL STUDY OF TOTAL KNEE REPLACEMENT (5R01AR020702-14). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-24 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3155129. Licensed CC0.

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