Are Tibiofemoral Compressive Loads Transferred Only via Contact Mechanisms?

Abstract

The tibiofemoral joint is known to bear compressive loads of several body-weights during daily activities. These forces are known to be transferred through the joint via compression of the tibial and femoral surfaces against one another. The menisci are also known to enhance this process by increasing the contact area and decreasing contact stress. However, calculations presented in this paper suggest that the load-bearing capacity of contact mechanisms is seemingly several times smaller than tibiofemoral joint loads. This suggests that probably one or more non-contact load-bearing mechanism(s) exist, and share the load with the already known contact mechanisms.

The Tibiofemoral Joint Gaps - An Arthroscopic Study

“…However, certain computational and anatomical evidences suggest that non-contact loadbearing mechanisms may be active in the joint as well. [4][5][6] This forms the basis of the emerging "theory of biotensegrity", 6,7 which has received growing interest in the last decade.…”