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Biomechanical Testing
Biomechanical testing was one of the two post-operative methods used to determine the success of the reconstruction!
The testing was divided into 2 subsections:
(1) clinic-modelled biomechanical tests
(2) material properties tests on the ligament
(1) Clinic-modelled biomechanical tests:
Goal: to help qualitatively assess the stability of the knee joint structure and see how a fully transected ACL can affect the displacement of the tibia relative to the femur
Click the links below to see some of the clinic-modelled biomechanical tests we conducted!
(2) Material Properties Test
Goal: Obtain maximum tensile strength and maximum displacement values of the ACL, in order to find the stiffness.
We wanted to obtain the native ACL's maximum tensile strength and maximum displacement, and then compare these values with the maximum tensile strength and maximum displacement of the surgically reconstructed knee with the semitendinosus graft.
Ideally, the values obtained from the native ACL measurements should closely match that of the reconstructed knee, thus indicating a successful reconstruction!
Biomechanical Testing Fixture Setup
Biomechanical Testing Fixture Setup
The diagram above models a uniaxial tensile test, where the fixtures (with the bone blocks inside) will be pulled apart until the ACL "fails" (tears). The picture below depicts the set-up in real-life
Many iterations of Biomechanical Testing fixtures!
Many iterations of Biomechanical Testing fixtures!
Several iterations of biomechanical testing fixtures were created, based on different mechanism of testing that were being explored!
In the end, the final iteration of fixtures are as pictured in the bottom left corner. Changes were made to account of weak points in previous iterations, and for ease of testing with heavy weights.
Click the link below to see how we conducted the material properties testing!
Expected Results
We expected to have statistically similar maximum tensile strength and maximum displacement values for the native ACL vs. the reconstructed knee, thus indicating a successful ACL-reconstruction.
A larger sample size and more trials would ideally ensure accuracy and help with reconstructive success.
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