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A Numerical Simulation Approach to Studying Anterior Cruciate Ligament Strains and Internal Forces Among Young Recreational Women Performing Valgus Inducing Stop-Jump Activities

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Abstract

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are commonly incurred by recreational and professional women athletes during non-contact jumping maneuvers in sports like basketball and volleyball, where incidences of ACL injury is more frequent to females compared to males. What remains a numerical challenge is in vivo calculation of ACL strain and internal force. This study investigated effects of increasing stop-jump height on neuromuscular and bio-mechanical properties of knee and ACL, when performed by young female recreational athletes. The underlying hypothesis is increasing stop-jump (platform) height increases knee valgus angles and external moments which also increases ACL strain and internal force. Using numerical analysis tools comprised of Inverse Kinematics, Computed Muscle Control and Forward Dynamics, a novel approach is presented for computing ACL strain and internal force based on (1) knee joint kinematics and (2) optimization of muscle activation, with ACL insertion into musculoskeletal model. Results showed increases in knee valgus external moments and angles with increasing stop-jump height. Increase in stop-jump height from 30 to 50 cm lead to increase in average peak valgus external moment from 40.5 ± 3.2 to 43.2 ± 3.7 Nm which was co-incidental with increase in average peak ACL strain, from 9.3 ± 3.1 to 13.7 ± 1.1%, and average peak ACL internal force, from 1056.1 ± 71.4 to 1165.4 ± 123.8 N for the right side with comparable increases in the left. In effect this study demonstrates a technique for estimating dynamic changes to knee and ACL variables by conducting musculoskeletal simulation on motion analysis data, collected from actual stop-jump tasks performed by young recreational women athletes.

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Acknowledgments

We are thankful to the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY for funding the stop-jump laboratory trials. We express our special thanks to Dr. A. Swank, Department of Sports Physiology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY for helping recruit young female participants for the stop-jump trials.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, 8000 Cummings Hall, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA

    Julia Kar

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Speed School of Engineering, University of Louisville, 200 Sackett Hall, Louisville, KY, 40292, USA

    Peter M. Quesada

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  1. Julia Kar
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Correspondence to Julia Kar.

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Associate Editor Joel D. Stitzel oversaw the review of this article.

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Kar, J., Quesada, P.M. A Numerical Simulation Approach to Studying Anterior Cruciate Ligament Strains and Internal Forces Among Young Recreational Women Performing Valgus Inducing Stop-Jump Activities. Ann Biomed Eng 40, 1679–1691 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-012-0572-x

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