# LIGAMENT INSERTIONS: RELATIONS IN THE MOVING KNEE

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · 1988 · $85,765

## Abstract

Normal knee function depends on the integrity of the collateral and
cruciate ligaments.  These ligaments consist of multifiber bands with
complex patterns of insertion to the femur and tibia.  Because of the
frequency of anterior cruciate injury and the potentially serious
consequences of anterior cruciate deficiency, it is often necessary to
reconstruct the ruptured ligament with biologic or synthetic material.  In
this procedure, the surgeon seeks femoral and tibial attachment sites which
allow the ligament reconstruction to remain supportive, but not excessively
tight, throughout the joint's range of motion.  In the proposed research we
will identify potential ligament attachment sites on the femur and tibia
which satisfy this requirement.

We will digitize both the anatomy of cadaver knees and the motion of these
knees under defined loading protocols.  In each knee, we will use the
quantified knee motion to characterize the length patterns of all potential
ligament attachment sites on the femur and tibia.  Using computational
optimization techniques, we will locate all potential anterior cruciate
attachment sites which have specified length patterns (for example,
near-isometry) over the full range of flexion.  We will characterize these
insertion sites in terms of their size, shape, and relation to anatomic
landmarks.  We will also locate ligament attachment sites which are nearly
isometric over certain subsets of the full arc of motion and which would
not result in excessive ligament strain over the remaining range.  We will
compare these sites with the attachment sites of anatomic ligament bands.

These investigations will characterize the length relationships of all
potential ligament attachment sites in knees moving under defined loads and
will correlate these observations with anatomic ligament insertion sites.
These studies will provide insight into the structure-function
relationships of knee ligaments and help surgeons understand the challenge
of insertion site selection in ligament reconstruction.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3157910
- **Project number:** 5R01AR037069-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
- **SAM.gov UEI:** HD1WMN6945W6
- **Principal Investigator:** FREDERICK A MATSEN
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1988
- **Award amount:** $85,765
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1986-04-01 → 1989-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3157910

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3157910, LIGAMENT INSERTIONS: RELATIONS IN THE MOVING KNEE (5R01AR037069-03). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-24 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3157910. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*