An extended discrete element method for the estimation of contact pressure at the ankle joint during stance phase
File(s)Benemerito_JOEIM_Ankle.pdf (1.96 MB)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Abnormalities in the ankle contact pressure are related to the onset of osteoarthritis. In vivo measurements are not possible with currently available techniques, so computational methods such as the finite element analysis (FEA) are often used instead. The discrete element method (DEM), a computationally efficient alternative to time-consuming FEA, has also been used to predict the joint contact pressure. It describes the articular cartilage as a bed of independent springs, assuming a linearly elastic behaviour and absence of relative motion between the bones. In this study, we present the extended DEM (EDEM) which is able to track the motion of talus over time. The method was used, with input data from a subject-specific musculoskeletal model, to predict the contact pressure in the ankle joint during gait. Results from EDEM were also compared with outputs from conventional DEM. Predicted values of contact area were larger in EDEM than they were in DEM (4.67 and 4.18 cm2, respectively). Peak values of contact pressure, attained at the toe-off, were 7.3 MPa for EDEM and 6.92 MPa for DEM. Values predicted from EDEM fell well within the ranges reported in the literature. Overall, the motion of the talus had more effect on the extension and shape of the pressure distribution than it had on the magnitude of the pressure. The results indicated that EDEM is a valid methodology for the prediction of ankle contact pressure during daily activities.
Date Issued
2020-02-08
Date Acceptance
2020-01-07
Citation
Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part H: Journal of Engineering in Medicine, 2020, 234 (5), pp.507-516
ISSN
0954-4119
Publisher
SAGE
Start Page
507
End Page
516
Journal / Book Title
Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part H: Journal of Engineering in Medicine
Volume
234
Issue
5
Copyright Statement
© IMechE 2020. The final, definitive version of this paper has been published in Benemerito, I., Modenese, L., Montefiori, E., Mazzà, C., Viceconti, M., Lacroix, D., & Guo, L. (2020). An extended discrete element method for the estimation of contact pressure at the ankle joint during stance phase. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part H: Journal of Engineering in Medicine by Sage Publications Ltd. All rights reserved. It is available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/0954411920905434
Identifier
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0954411920905434
Subjects
0903 Biomedical Engineering
0913 Mechanical Engineering
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2020-02-08