The Effect of Joint-Compressive Load and Quadriceps Muscle Force on Knee Motion in the Intact and Anterior Cruciate Ligament-Sectioned Knee

• Published in: The American journal of sports medicine 1994-01, Vol.22 (1), p.105-112
• Main Authors: Torzilli, Peter A., Xianghua Deng, Warren, Russell F.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anterior Cruciate Ligament - physiology; Anterior Cruciate Ligament - surgery; Biological and medical sciences; Elasticity; Female; Femur - anatomy & histology; Femur - physiology; Humans; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Joint Instability - physiopathology; Joints; Knee; Knee Joint - anatomy & histology; Knee Joint - physiology; Knee muscles; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Movement; Muscle Contraction - physiology; Muscles; Muscles - physiology; Muscular system; Osteoarticular system. Muscles; Pathology. Cytology. Biochemistry. Spectrometry. Miscellaneous investigative techniques; Range of motion; Rotation; Space life sciences; Sports medicine; Stress, Mechanical; Tibia - anatomy & histology; Tibia - physiology
• ISSN: 0363-5465; 1552-3365
• DOI: 10.1177/036354659402200117

To determine the effect of an externally applied joint- compressive load and a quadriceps muscle force on knee motion, we tested nine intact cadaveric knees and four knees after sectioning of the anterior cruciate liga ment. Anteroposterior translation was measured at 0°, 15°, 30°, 45°, and 90° of knee flexion after the appli cation of an anteroposterior force of 100 N, a joint- compressive load of 0, 111, 222, 333, or 444 N, and a quadriceps force of 0 or 133 N. Both a joint-compressive load and a quadriceps force significantly decreased to tal anteroposterior translation by as much as 50% to 66% in intact knees and 42% to 71 % in anterior cruciate ligament-sectioned knees. A substantial anterior trans lation was also found with the application of a joint- compressive load or a quadriceps force and no anterior force. We termed this translation an anterior neutral- position shift. The anterior neutral-position shift was sig nificantly greater in the ligament-sectioned knees com pared with the intact knees, so much so that at flexion angles greater than 15°, the application of a 100-N pos terior force could not translate the tibia to the most an terior position achieved in the intact knee with a 100-N anterior force.