Intraoperative range of motion (ROM) radiographs are routinely taken during scaphoidectomy and four corner fusion surgery (S4CF) at our institution. It is not known if intraoperative ROM predicts postoperative ROM. We hypothesize that patients with a greater intra-operativeROM would have an improved postoperative ROM at one year, but that this arc would be less than that achieved intra- operatively. We retrospectively reviewed 56 patients that had undergone S4CF at our institution in the past 10 years. Patients less than 18, those who underwent the procedure for reasons other than arthritis, those less than one year from surgery, and those that had since undergone wrist arthrodesis were excluded. Intraoperative ROM was measured from fluoroscopic images taken in flexion and extension at the time of surgery. Patients that met criteria were then invited to take part in a virtual assessment and their ROM was measured using a goniometer. T-tests were used to measure differences between intraoperative and postoperative ROM, Pearson Correlation was used to measure associations, and linear regression was conducted to assess whether intraoperative ROM predicts postoperative ROM. Nineteen patients, two of whom had bilateral surgery, agreed to participate. Mean age was 54 and 14 were male and 5 were male. In the majority, surgical indication was scapholunate advanced collapse; however, two of the participants had scaphoid nonunion advanced collapse. No difference was observed between intraoperative and postoperative flexion. On average there was an increase of seven degrees of extension and 12° arc of motion postoperatively with p values reaching significance Correlation between intr-operative and postoperative ROM did not reach statistical significance for flexion, extension, or arc of motion. There were no statistically significant correlations between intraoperative and postoperative ROM. Intraoperative ROM radiographs are not useful at predicting postoperative ROM. Postoperative extension and arc of motion did increase from that measured intraoperatively

The function of the shoulder joint has traditionally been evaluated based on range of motion (ROM) in predefined anatomical planes and also by using functional scores, which assessed shoulder function based on the ability to conduct certain activities of daily living (ADLs). However, measuring ROM only in terms of flexion-extension, abduction-adduction and internal-external rotation may under-account for the 3-dimensional mobility of the shoulder joint. Furthermore, functional scores, such as the Oxford shoulder score or American shoulder and elbow surgeons (ASES) score, are subjective measures and are not an accurate assessment of shoulder joint function. In this study, we proposed the use of the globe model of the shoulder joint which can be used to provide an objective measure of the global ROM and also function of the shoulder joint – termed the Global and Functional arc of motion (GAM and FAM). Thirty-three young, healthy male patients (23.7 ± 1.5 years) were recruited and tasked to perform eight ADLs and a full humeral circumduction movement which represented their active global ROM. Reflective markers were placed in accordance to the International Society of Biomechanics (ISB) and optical-based motion capture cameras were used to track relative motion of the dominant humerus with respect to the thorax (i.e. thoracohumeral motion). The GAM and FAM were generated by plotting the thoracohumeral on a spherical coordinate system during global ROM and the eight ADLs respectively. Shoulder joint global ROM and function were quantified by calculating the area enclosed by the closed loop of GAM and FAM respectively. The spherical coordinate system, or more commonly referred to as the globe model, describes thoracohumeral movement using plane of elevation (POE), angle of elevation (AOE) and rotation. In our model, POE and AOE represents longitude and latitude of the globe respectively, and rotation is depicted using a red-green-blue (RGB) colour scale. Overall, subject's GAM of the shoulder joint covered an area of 4.64 ± 0.48 units2 compared to only 1.12 ± 0.26 units2 for the FAM. Subjects only required 24.4 ± 5.7 % of their global shoulder ROM for basic daily functioning. Studies that reduced shoulder joint movement into planar movements (i.e. sagittal, coronal and rotation) do not account for the 3-dimensional nature of the joint and doing so may overestimate the requirement of the shoulder joint for ADLs relative to its ROM in each plane. While others have attempted to use the globe model, such studies tend to reduce the globe into its descriptive angles (i.e. POE, AOE and rotation), reducing its intuitiveness. In contrast, by keeping an intact globe, the proposed globe model was more intuitive and yet capable of quantifying both shoulder joint global ROM and function. Doing so, we found that young healthy subjects only required approximately a quarter of their global ROM of the shoulder joint to complete the most common daily tasks, which was significantly less than what was previously reported

Background:. Few clinical hip score include toe-reach motion after THA (put-on-socks, nail-cutting). Some reports have shown whether THA patients can put on socks or not in daily activity, and not shown how they can do it. The purpose of this study is to investigate real pattern of put-on-socks motion in daily activities after THA, and to evaluate safe range of motion for prevention of hip dislocation. Materials and Methods:. Reviewing clinical chart, we investigated highly frequent pattern in wearing socks motion that would cause hip dislocation in ADL in 100 patients with normal lower extremities except for hip joint more than one year after THA, then, we classified the motion pattern. Using an optical 3-D motion analysis (MAC3D system, Motion Analysis, USA), we measured necessary angle of the hip in 10 THA subjects (mean age at operation 61 years old) one year postoperatively, while the patients make such frequent patterns of movement as above. Simultaneously, individual 3-dimensional skeletal model was reconstructed from CT data and implant CAD data. Driving 3-D skeletal model combined with motion analysis data on display (Zed Hip, LEXI), we calculated angle from posture that hip flexion angle was maximum during wearing-socks motion to impingement point (implant and/or bone) for each direction. ALL joint angle was defined as “zero” in supine position. Results:. Resulting from clinical chart, high incident pattern of the motion was “Leg raising pattern” (26%), and “Trunk flexion pattern” (23%) (Figure 1). For above two pattern of the socks-wearing motion, 3-D motion analysis showed that maximum hip flexion angle was 85 ± 13 degrees for leg raising pattern, 88 ± 14 degrees for trunk flexion pattern. Hip angle of abduction/adduction or external/internal rotation was within mean 15 degrees during each motion. 3-D model simulation combined with motion data showed that 39 ± 15 degrees, 33 ± 9.7 degrees for direction of hip flection, 34 ± 17 degrees, 32 ± 11 degrees for direction of hip adduction and 78 ± 21 degrees, 51 ± 21 degrees for direction of hip internal rotation from posture on maximum hip flexion angle to impingement point for each motion, respectively. All cases showed safe range of more than 20 degrees for all direction and impingement occurred between cup and stem in all cases (Figure 2, 3). Discussion:. Recently, there have been trend to decrease limitation of motion in ADL after THA. Safe range of motion without impingement have been enlarged resulting from development of implant design, proper alignment and operative technique. This study showed safe range without impingement in frequent socks-wearing pattern in daily living among THA patients one year after surgery. More research for motion in ADL can lead to remove postoperative restrictions in THA patients

Introduction. Today, there is no clear consensus as to the amplitude of movement of the “normal hip”. Knowing the necessary joint mobility for everyday life is important to understand different pathologies and to better plan their treatments. Moreover, determining the hip range of motion (ROM) is one of the key points of its clinical examination. Unfortunately this process may lack precision because of movement of other joints around the pelvis. Our goal was to perform a preliminary study based on the coupling of MRI and optical motion capture to define precisely the necessary hip joint mobility for everyday tasks and to assess the accuracy of the hip ROM clinical exam. Methods. MRI was carried out on 4 healthy volunteers (mean age, 28 years). A morphological analysis was performed to assess any bony abnormalities. Two motion capture sessions were conducted: one aimed at recording routine activities (stand-to-sit, lie down, lace the shoes while seated, pick an object on the floor while seated or standing) known to be painful or prone to implant failures. During the second session, a hip clinical exam was performed successively by 2 orthopedists (2 and 12 years' experience), while the motion of the subjects was simultaneously recorded (Fig.1). These sequences were captured: 1) supine: maximal flexion, maximal IR/ER with hip flexed 90°, maximal abduction; 2) seated: maximal IR/ER with hip and knee flexed 90°. A hand held goniometer was used by clinicians to measure hip angles in those different positions. Hip joint kinematics was computed from the markers trajectories using a validated optimized fitting algorithm which accounted for skin motion artifacts (accuracy: translational error≍0.5 mm, rotational error <3°). The resulting computed motions were applied to patient-specific hip joint 3D models reconstructed from their MRI data (Fig. 2). Hip angles were determined at each point of the motion thanks to two bone coordinate systems (pelvis and femur). The orthopedist's results were compared. Results. All subject's hips were morphologically normal. For all movements, a minimum of 95° hip flexion was required (mean range 95°–107°), lacing the shoes and lying down being the more demanding. Abduction/adduction and IR/ER remained low (± 20°) and variable across subjects. Regarding the clinical exam, the error made by the clinicians varied in the range of ± 10°, except for the flexion and abduction where the error was higher (flexion: mean 9.5°, range −7°–22°; abduction: mean 19.5°, range: 8–32°). No significant differences between the errors made by the two examiners were noted (mean error for each examiner: 7.4° vs. 8.4°). Conclusion. Daily activities of a “normal hip” involve intensive hip flexion, which could explain why such motion can yield hip pain or possible implant failure. This information should be considered in the surgical planning and prosthesis design when restoring patient mobility and stability. The clinical exam seems to be a precise method for determining hip passive motion, if extra care is taken to stabilize the pelvis during flexion and abduction to prevent overestimation of the ROM. Further studies including more subjects are required before attesting the accuracy of this test

As the field of hip arthroscopy continues to develop, functional measures and testing become increasingly important in patient selection, managing patient expectations prior to surgery, and physical readiness for return to athletic participation. The Hip Sport Test (HST) was developed to assess strength, coordination, agility, and range of motion prior to and following hip arthroscopy as a functional assessment. However, the relationship between HST and hip strength, range of motion, and hip-specific patient reported outcome (PRO) measures have not been investigated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between the HST scores and measurements of hip strength and range of motion prior to undergoing hip arthroscopy. Between September 2009 and January 2017, patients aged 18-40 who underwent primary hip arthroscopy for the treatment of femoroacetabular impingement with available pre-operative HST, dynamometry, range of motion, and functional scores (mHHS, WOMAC, HOS-SSS) were identified. Patients were excluded if they were 40 years old, had a Tegner activity score < 7, or did not have HST and dynamometry evaluations within one week of each other. Muscle strength scores were compared between affected and unaffected side to establish a percent difference with a positive score indicating a weaker affected limb and a negative score indicating a stronger affected limb. Correlations were made between HST and strength testing, range of motion, and PROs. A total of 350 patients met inclusion criteria. The average age was 26.9 ± 6.5 years, with 34% females and 36% professional athletes. Total and component HST scores were significantly associated with measure of strength most strongly for flexion (rs = −0.20, p < 0 .001), extension (rs = −0.24, p<.001) and external rotation (rs = −0.20, p < 0 .001). Lateral and diagonal agility, components of HST, were also significantly associated with muscle strength imbalances between internal rotation versus external rotation (rs = −0.18, p=0.01) and flexion versus extension (rs = 0.12, p=0.03). In terms of range of motion, a significant correlation was detected between HST and internal rotation (rs = −0.19, p < 0 .001). Both the total and component HST scores were positively correlated with pre-operative mHHS, WOMAC, and HOS-SSS (p<.001 for all rs). The Hip Sport Test correlates with strength, range of motion, and PROs in the preoperative setting of hip arthroscopy. This test alone and in combination with other diagnostic examinations can provide valuable information about initial hip function and patient prognosis

To determine the biomechanical effect of increasing scaphoid malunion and scaphoid non-union on carpal kinematics during dynamic wrist motion using an active wrist motion simulator. Seven cadaveric upper extremities underwent active wrist flexion and extension in a custom motion wrist simulator with scaphoid kinematics being captured with respect to the distal radius. A three-stage protocol of progressive simulated malunion severity was performed (intact, 10° malunion, 20° malunion) with data analyzed from 45° wrist flexion to 45° wrist extension. Scaphoid malunions were modelled by creating successive volar wedge osteotomies and fixating the resultant scaphoid fragments with 0.062 Kirshner wires. At the completion of malunion motion trials, a scaphoid non-union trial was carried out by removing surgical fixation to observe motion differences from the malunion trials. Motion of the scaphoid, lunate, capitate, and trapezium-trapezoid was recorded and analyzed using active optical trackers. Increasing scaphoid malunion severity did not significantly affect scaphoid or trapezium-trapezoid motion (p>0.05); however, it did significantly alter lunate motion (p<0.001). Increasing malunion severity resulted in progressive lunate extension across wrist motion (Intact – Mal 10: mean dif. = 7.1° ± 1.6, p<0.05; Intact – Mal 20: mean dif. = 10.2° ± 2.0, p<0.05;) although this change was not as great as the difference seen during non-union trials (native – non-union: mean dif. = 13.8° ± 3.7, p<0.05). In this in-vitro model, increasing scaphoid malunion severity was associated with progressive extension of the lunate in all wrist positions. The clinical significance of this motion change is yet to be elucidated, but this model serves as a basis for understanding the kinematic consequences of scaphoid malunion deformities

Introduction. Sheffield Children's Hospital specialises in limb lengthening for children. Soft tissue contracture and loss of range of motion at the knee and ankle are common complications. This review aims to look at therapeutic techniques used by the therapy team to manage these issues. Materials & Methods. A retrospective case review of therapy notes was performed of femoral and tibial lengthening's over the last 3 years. Included were children having long bone lengthening with an iIntramedullary nail, circular frame or mono-lateral rail. Patients excluded were any external fixators crossing the knee/ankle joints. Results. 20 tibial and 25 femoral lengthening's met the inclusion criteria. Pathologies included, complex fractures, limb deficiency, post septic necrosis and other congenital conditions leading to growth disturbance. All patients had issues with loss of motion at some point during the lengthening process. The knee and foot/ankle were equally affected. Numerous risk factors were identified across the cohort. Treatment provided included splinting, serial casting, bolt on shoes, exercise therapy, electrical muscle stimulation and passive stretching. Conclusions. Loss of motion in lower limb joints was common. Patients at higher risk were those with abnormal anatomy, larger target lengthening's, poor compliance or lack of access to local services. Therapy played a significant role in managing joint motion during treatment. However, limitations were noted. No one treatment option gave preferential outcomes, selection of treatment needed to be patient specific. Future research should look at guidelines to aid timely input and avoid secondary complications

Nearly one quarter of ankle fractures have a recognized syndesmosis injury. An intact syndesmosis ligament complex stabilizes the distal tibio-fibular joint while allowing small, physiologic amounts of relative motion. When injured, malreduction of the syndesmosis has been found to be the most important independent factor that contributes to inferior functional outcomes. Despite this, significant variability in surgical treatment remains. This may be due to a poor understanding of normal dynamic syndesmosis motion and the resultant impact of static and dynamic fixation on post-injury syndesmosis kinematics. As the syndesmosis is a dynamic structure, conventional CT static images do not provide a complete picture of syndesmosis position, giving potentially misleading results. Dynamic CT technology has the ability to image joints in real time, as they are moved through a range-of-motion (ROM). The aim of this study was to determine if syndesmosis position changes significantly throughout ankle range of motion, thus warranting further investigation with dynamic CT. This is an a priori planned subgroup analysis of a larger multicentre randomized clinical trial, in which patients with AO-OTA 44-C injuries were randomized to either Tightrope or screw fixation. Bilateral ankle CT scans were performed at 1 year post-injury, while patients moved from maximal dorsiflexion (DF) to maximal plantar flexion (PF). In the uninjured ankles, three measurements were taken at one cm proximal to the ankle joint line in maximal DF and maximal PF: Anterior (ASD), middle (MSD), and posterior (PSD) syndesmosis distance, in order to determine normal syndesmosis position. Paired samples t-tests compared measurements taken at maximal DF and maximal PF. Twelve patients (eight male, six female) were included, with a mean age of 44 years (±13years). The mean maximal DF achieved was 1-degree (± 7-degrees), whereas the mean maximal PF was 47-degrees (± 8-degrees). The ASD in DF was 3.0mm (± 1.1mm) versus 1.9mm (± 0.8mm) in PF (p<0.01). The MSD in DF was 3.3mm (±1.1mm) versus 2.3mm (±0.9mm) in PF (p<0.01). The PSD in DF was 5.3mm (±1.5mm) versus 4.6mm (±1.9mm) in PF (p<0.01). These values are consistent with the range of normal parameters previously reported in the literature, however this is the first study to report the ankle position at which these measurements are acquired and that there is a significant change in syndesmosis measurements based on ankle position. Normal syndesmosis position changes in uninjured ankles significantly throughout range of motion. This motion may contribute to the variation in normal anatomy previously reported and controversies surrounding quantifying anatomic reduction after injury, as the ankle position is not routinely standardized, but rather static measurements are taken at patient-selected ankle positions. Dynamic CT is a promising modality to quantify normal ankle kinematics, in order to better understand normal syndesmosis motion. This information will help optimize assessment of reduction methods and potentially improve patient outcomes. Future directions include side-to-side comparison using dynamic CT analysis in healthy volunteers

Introduction. Interactions between hip, pelvis and spine, as abnormal spinopelvic movements, have been associated with inferior outcomes following total hip arthroplasty (THA). Changes in pelvis position lead to a mutual change in functional cup orientation, with both pelvic tilt and rotation having a significant effect on version. Hip osteoarthritis (OA) patients have shown reduced hip kinematics which may place increased demands on the pelvis and the spine. Sagittal and coronal planes assessments are commonly done as these can be adequately studied with anteroposterior and lateral radiographs. However, abnormal pelvis rotation is likely to compromise the outcome as they have a detrimental effect on cup orientation and increased impingement risk. This study aims to determine the association between dynamic motion and radiographic sagittal assessments; and examine the association between axial and sagittal spinal and pelvic kinematics between hip OA patients and healthy controls (CTRL). Methods. This is a prospective study, IRB approved. Twenty hip OA pre-THA patients (11F/9M, 67±9 years) and six CTRL (3F/3M, 46±18 years) underwent lateral spinopelvic radiographs in standing and seated bend-and-reach (SBR) positions. Pelvic tilt (PT), pelvic-femoral-angle (PFA) and lumbar lordosis (LL) angles were measured in both positions and the differences (Δ) between standing and SBR were calculated. Dynamic SBR and seated maximal-trunk-rotation (STR) were recorded in the biomechanics laboratory using a 10-infrared camera and processed on a motion capture system (Vicon, UK). Direct kinematics extracted maximal pelvic tilt (PT. max. ), hip flexion (HF. max. ) and (mid-thoracic to lumbar) spinal flexion (SF. max. ). The SBR pelvic movement contribution (ΔPT. rel. ) was calculated as ΔPT/(ΔPT+ΔPFA)∗100 for the radiographic analysis and as PT. max. /(PT. max. +HF. max. ) for the motion analyses. Axial and sagittal, pelvic and spinal range of motion (ROM) were calculated for STR and SBR, respectively. Spearman's rank-order determined correlations between the spinopelvic radiographs and sagittal kinematics, and the sagittal/axial kinematics. Mann-Whitney U-tests compared measures between groups. Results. Radiograph readings correlated with sagittal kinematics during SBR for ΔPT and PT. max. (ρ=0.64, p<0.001), ΔPFA and HF. max. (ρ=0.44, p<0.0002), and ΔLL and SF. max. (ρ=0.34, p=0.002). Relative pelvic movements (ΔPT. rel. ) were not different between radiographic (11%±21) and biomechanical (15%±29) readings (p=0.9). Sagittal SRB spinal flexion correlated with the axial STR rotation (ρ=0.43, p<0.0001). Although not seen in CTRL, sagittal SRB pelvic flexion strongly correlated with STR pelvic rotation in OA patients (ρ=0.40, p=0.002). All spinopelvic parameters were different between the patients with OA and CTRL. CTRLs exhibited significantly greater mobility and less variability in all 3 segments (spine, pelvis, hip) and both planes (axial and sagittal) (Table 1). Conclusion. Correlation between sagittal kinematics and radiographical measurements during SBR validates the spinopelvic mobility assessments in the biomechanics laboratory. Axial kinematics of both pelvis and spine correlated significantly in OA patients, suggesting that patients with abnormal sagittal mobility are likely to also exhibit abnormal axial mobility, which can further potentiate any at-risk kinematics. Significantly lower OA ROM must be investigated post-THA. Pre-THA variability of both sagittal and axial movements indicates that both planes must be considered ahead of surgical planning with navigation and/or robotics. For any figures or tables, please contact the authors directly

Introduction. In knee biomechanics the concept of the envelope of motion (EOM) has proven to be a powerful method to characterize joint mechanics and the effect of surgical interventions. It is furthermore indispensable for numerical model validation. While commonly used for tibiofemoral kinematics, there is very little report of applying the concept to patellofemoral kinematics. EOM measurements require precise and reproducible displacement and load control in all degrees of freedom (DOF), which robotic testing has proven to provide. The objectives of this study were therefore to (1) develop a robotic method to assess patellofemoral EOM as a function of tibiofemoral EOM, (2) compare resulting patellofemoral kinematics to published data, and (3) determine which DOFs in the tibiofemoral EOM mostly account for the patellofemoral EOM. Material and Methods. The developed robotic (KUKA KR140 comp) method was evaluated using 8 post-mortem human leg specimens of both genders (age: 55±11 years, BMI: 23±5). Firstly, tibiofemoral neutral flexion was established as well as the EOM by applying anterior-posterior (±100 N), medial-lateral (±100 N), internal-external (±4 Nm) and varus-valgus (±12 Nm) loads under low compression (44 N) at 7 flexion angles. Secondly, patellofemoral flexion kinematics and EOM were measured during a robotic playback of the previously established tibiofemoral kinematics. During these measurements, the quadriceps tendon was loaded with a hanging weight (20 kg) via a pulley system directing the force to the anterior superior iliac spine. Kinematics were tracked optically (OptiTrack) and registered to CT scans using co-scanned aluminum cylinders and beads embedded in the patella. The overall patellofemoral EOM was calculated as the extent of patellar motion observed during manipulating the tibia inside the tibiofemoral EOM in all DOFs. Additionally, patellofemoral EOMs were calculated for tibial manipulations along individual DOFs to analyze the importance of these DOFs. Results. Trends and magnitudes of patella shift, tilt and rotation during knee flexion were similar to reported in-vivo measurements. Envelopes of patellar shift and tilt during internal-external tibiofemoral rotation closely resembled those reported for in-vitro results despite methodological differences. Tibiofemoral internal-external and varus-valgus rotation had the largest effect on patellofemoral EOM. EOMs in patellar shift and tilt were dominated by internal-external rotation in early flexion and varus-valgus rotation in late flexion. The EOM in patellar rotation was dominated by tibiofemoral varus-valgus rotation throughout flexion. Manipulating the tibia in a combined internal-external and varus-valgus rotation envelope yielded the same patellofemoral EOM as the overall patellofemoral EOM. Conclusion. This study has established a novel robotic method to assess the patellofemoral envelope of motion as a function of tibiofemoral EOM. Resulting patellofemoral kinematics resembled data reported in literature. It was furthermore shown that is sufficient to establish a combined internal-external and varus-valgus envelope of tibiofemoral motion as bases of the patellofemoral EOM, as including the anterior-posterior and medial-lateral tibiofemoral envelopes yielded no additional effect

Introduction/Aim. Mid-flexion instability is a well-documented, but often poorly understood cause of failure of TKA. NAVIO robotic-assisted TKA (RA-TKA) offers a novel, integrative approach as a planning, execution as well as an evaluation tool in TKA surgery. RA-TKA provides a hybrid planning technique of measured resection and gap balancing- generating a predictive soft-tissue balance model, prior to making cuts. Concurrently, the system uses a semi-active robot to facilitate both the execution and verification of the plan, as it pertains to both the static and dynamic anatomy. The goal of this study was to assess the ability of the NAVIO RA-TKA to plan, execute and deliver an individualized approach to the soft-tissue balance of the knee, specifically in the “mid-flexion” arc of motion. Materials and Methods. Between May and September 2018, 50 patients underwent NAVIO RA-TKA. Baseline demographics were collected, including age, gender, BMI, and range of motion. The NAVIO imageless technique was used to plan the procedure, including: surface-mapping of the static anatomy; objective assessment of the dynamic, soft-tissue anatomy; and then application of a hybrid of measured-resection and gap-balancing technique. Medial and lateral gaps as predicted by the software were recorded throughout the entire arc of motion at 15° increments. After executing the plan and placing the components, actual medial and lateral gaps were recorded throughout the arc of motion. Results. In the assessment of coronal-plane balance, the average deviation from the predicted plan between 0–90° was 0.9mm in both the medial and lateral compartments (range 0.5–1.2mm). In the mid-flexion arc (15–75°), final soft-tissue stability was within 1.0mm of the predictive plan (range 0.9–1.2mm). Discussion/Conclusions. In this study, NAVIO RA-TKA demonstrated a highly accurate and reproducible surgical technique to plan, execute and verify a balanced a soft-tissue envelope in TKA. Objective soft-tissue balancing of the TKA can now be performed, including the mid-flexion arc of motion. Further analysis can determine if these objective measurements will translate into improved patient-reported outcome scores

The syndesmosis ligament complex stabilizes the distal tibiofibular joint, while allowing for the subtle fibular motion that is essential for ankle congruity. Flexible fixation with anatomic syndesmosis reduction results in substantial improvements in functional outcomes. New dynamic CT technology allows real-time imaging, as the ankle moves through a range of motion. The aim of this study was to determine if dynamic CT analysis is a feasible method for evaluating syndesmosis reduction and motion following static and flexible syndesmosis fixation. This is a subgroup analysis of a larger multicenter randomized clinical trial, in which patients with AO 44-C injuries were randomized to either Tightrope (one knotless Tightrope, Group T) or screw fixation (two 3.5-mm cortical screws, Group S). Surgical techniques and rehabilitation were standardized. Bilateral ankle CT scans were performed at one year post-injury, while patients moved from maximal dorsiflexion (DF) to maximal plantar flexion (PF). Three measurements were taken at one cm proximal to the ankle joint line in maximal DF and maximal PF: anterior, midpoint, and posterior tibiofibular distances. T-tests compared Group T and Group S, and injured and uninjured ankles in each group. Fifteen patients (six Group T [three male], nine Group S [eight male]) were included. There was no difference for mean age (T = 42.8 ± 14.1 years, S = 37 ± 12.6, P = 0.4) or time between injury and CT scan (T = 13 ± 1.8 months, S = 13.2 ± 1.8, P = 0.8). Of note in Group S, seven of nine patients had at least one broken screw and one additional patient had screws removed by the time of their dynamic CT. There was no significant difference between treatment groups for tibiofibular distance measurements in maximal PF or DF. Group T showed no significant difference between the injured and uninjured side for tibiofibular measurements in maximal PF and DF, suggesting anatomic reduction. For Group S, however, there was a significantly larger distance for all three measurements at maximal PF compared to the uninjured ankle (all P < 0 .05). In all but one Group S patient, screws were broken or removed prior to their dynamic CT, allowing possible increased syndesmotic motion, similar to Group T. Despite this, dynamic CT analysis detected increased tibiofibular distance in Group S as ankles moved into maximal PF when compared with the uninjured ankle. Given the importance of anatomic syndesmosis reduction, dynamic ankle CT technology may provide valuable physiologic information warranting further investigation

Wrist motion is achieved primarily via rotation at the radiocarpal and midcarpal joints. The contribution of each carpal bone to total range of motion has been previously investigated, although there is no consensus regarding the influence of each structure to global wrist motion. The objective of this comprehensive in-vitro biomechanical study was to determine the kinematics of the capitate, scaphoid and lunate during unconstrained simulated wrist flexion-extension. In addition, this study examined the effect of motion direction (i.e. flexion or extension) on the kinematics and contribution of the carpal bones. Seven fresh frozen cadaveric upper limb specimens (age: 67±18 yrs) were amputated mid-humerus, and the wrist flexors/extensors were exposed and sutured at their musculotendinous junctions. Each specimen was mounted on a wrist motion simulator in neutral forearm rotation with the elbow at 90° flexion. Passive flexion and extension motion of the wrist was simulated by moving a K-wire, inserted into the third metacarpal, through the flexion/extension motion arc at a speed of ∼5 mm/sec under muscle tone loads of 10N. Carpal kinematics were captured using optical tracking of bone fixated markers. Kinematic data was analysed from ±35° flexion/extension. Scaphoid and lunate motion differed between wrist flexion and extension, but correlated linearly (R‸2=0.99,0.97) with capitate motion. In wrist extension, the scaphoid (p=0.03) and lunate (p=0.01) extended 83±19% & 37±18% respectively relative to the capitate. In wrist flexion, the scaphoid (p=1.0) and lunate (p=0.01) flexed 95±20% and 70±12% respectively relative to the capitate. The ratio of carpal rotation to global wrist rotation decreased as the wrist moved from flexion to extension. The lunate rotates on average 46±25% less than the capitate and 35±31% less than the scaphoid during global wrist motion (p=0.01). The scaphoid rotates on average 11±19% less than the capitate during wrist flexion and extension (p=0.07). There was no difference in the contribution of carpal bone motion to global wrist motion during flexion (p=0.26) or extension (p=0.78). The capitate, lunate and scaphoid move synergistically throughout planar motions of the wrist. Our study found that both the scaphoid and lunate contributed at a greater degree during wrist flexion compared to extension, suggesting that the radiocarpal joint plays a more critical role in wrist flexion. Our results agree with previous studies demonstrating that the scaphoid and lunate do not contribute equally to wrist motion and do not function as a single unit during planar wrist motion. The large magnitude of differential rotation observed between the scaphoid and lunate may be responsible for the high incidence of scapholunate ligament injuries relative to other intercarpal ligaments. An understanding of normal carpal kinematics may assist in developing more durable wrist arthroplasty designs

Wrist motion is achieved primarily via rotation at the radiocarpal and midcarpal joints. The contribution of each carpal bone to total range of motion has been previously investigated, although there is no consensus regarding the influence of each structure to global wrist motion. The objective of this comprehensive in-vitro biomechanical study was to determine the kinematics of the capitate, scaphoid and lunate during unconstrained simulated wrist flexion-extension. In addition, this study examined the effect of motion direction (i.e. flexion or extension) on the kinematics and contribution of the carpal bones. Seven fresh frozen cadaveric upper limb specimens (age: 67±18 yrs) were amputated mid-humerus, and the wrist flexors/extensors were exposed and sutured at their musculotendinous junctions. Each specimen was mounted on a wrist motion simulator in neutral forearm rotation with the elbow at 90° flexion. Passive flexion and extension motion of the wrist was simulated by moving a K-wire, inserted into the third metacarpal, through the flexion/extension motion arc at a speed of ∼5 mm/sec under muscle tone loads of 10N. Carpal kinematics were captured using optical tracking of bone fixated markers. Kinematic data was analysed from ±35° flexion/extension. Scaphoid and lunate motion differed between wrist flexion and extension, but correlated linearly (R^2=0.99,0.97) with capitate motion. In wrist extension, the scaphoid (p=0.03) and lunate (p=0.01) extended 83±19% & 37±18% respectively relative to the capitate. In wrist flexion, the scaphoid (p=1.0) and lunate (p=0.01) flexed 95±20% and 70±12% respectively relative to the capitate. The ratio of carpal rotation to global wrist rotation decreased as the wrist moved from flexion to extension. The lunate rotates on average 46±25% less than the capitate and 35±31% less than the scaphoid during global wrist motion (p=0.01). The scaphoid rotates on average 11±19% less than the capitate during wrist flexion and extension (p=0.07). There was no difference in the contribution of carpal bone motion to global wrist motion during flexion (p=0.26) or extension (p=0.78). The capitate, lunate and scaphoid move synergistically throughout planar motions of the wrist. Our study found that both the scaphoid and lunate contributed at a greater degree during wrist flexion compared to extension, suggesting that the radiocarpal joint plays a more critical role in wrist flexion. Our results agree with previous studies demonstrating that the scaphoid and lunate do not contribute equally to wrist motion and do not function as a single unit during planar wrist motion. The large magnitude of differential rotation observed between the scaphoid and lunate may be responsible for the high incidence of scapholunate ligament injuries relative to other intercarpal ligaments. An understanding of normal carpal kinematics may assist in developing more durable wrist arthroplasty designs

The literature indicates that femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) patients do not return to the level of controls (CTRL) following surgery. The purpose of this study was to compare hip biomechanics during stair climbing tasks in FAI patients before and two years after undergoing corrective surgery against healthy controls (CTRL). A total of 27 participants were included in this study. All participants underwent CT imaging at the local hospital, followed by three-dimensional motion analysis done at the human motion biomechanics laboratory at the local university. Participants who presented a cam deformity >50.5° in the oblique-axial or >60° in the radial planes, respectively, and who had a positive impingement test were placed in the FAI group (n=11, age=34.1±7.4 years, BMI=25.4±2.7 kg/m2). The remaining participants had no cam deformity and negative impingement test and were placed in the CTRL group (n=16, age=33.2±6.4 years, BMI=26.3±3.2 kg/m2). The CTRL group completed the biomechanics protocol once, whereas the FAI group completed the protocol twice, once prior to undergoing corrective surgery for the cam FAI, and the second time at approximately two years following surgery. At the human motion biomechanics laboratory, participants were outfitted with 45 retroreflective markers placed according to the UOMAM marker set. Participants completed five trials of stairs task on a three step instrumented stair case to measure ground reaction forces while 10 Vicon MX-13 cameras recorded the marker trajectories. Data was processed using Nexus software and divided into stair ascent and stair descent tasks. The trials were imported into custom written MatLab software to extract peak pelvis and hip kinematics and hip kinetic variables. Non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to determine significant (p < 0.05) differences between the groups. No significant differences occurred during the stair descent task between any of the groups. During the stair ascent task, the CTRL group had significantly greater peak hip flexion angle (Pre-Op=58±7.1°, Post-Op=58.1±6.6°, CTRL=64.1±5.1°) and sagittal hip range of motion (ROM) (Pre-Op=56.7±6.7°, Post-Op=56.3±5.5°, CTRL=61.7±4.2°) than both the pre- and post-operative groups. Pre-operatively, the FAI group had significantly less peak hip adduction angle (Pre-Op=2±4.5°, Post-Op=3.4±4.4°, CTRL=5.5±3.7°) and hip frontal ROM (Pre-Op=9.9±3.4°, Post-Op=11.9±5.4°, CTRL=13.4±2.5°) compared to the CTRL group. No significant differences occurred in the kinetic variables. Our findings are in line with the Rylander and colleagues (2013) who also found that hip sagittal ROM did not improve following corrective surgery. Their study included a mix of cam and pincer-type FAI, and had a mean follow-up of approximately one year. Our cohort included only cam FAI and they had a mean follow-up of approximately two years, indicating with the extra year, the patients still did not show sagittal hip kinematics improvement. In the frontal plane, there was no significant difference between the post-op and the CTRL, indicating that the postoperative FAI reached the level of the CTRLs. This is in line with recent work that indicates a more medialized hip contact force vector following surgery, suggesting better hip stabilization

Purpose. The goal of Total Ankle Arthroplasty (TAA) is to relieve pain and restore healthy function of the intact ankle. Restoring intact ankle kinematics is an important step in restoring normal function to the joint. Previous robotic laxity testing and functional activity simulation showed the intact and implanted motion of the tibia relative to the calcaneus is similar. However there is limited data on the tibiotalar joint in either the intact or implanted state. This current study compares modern anatomically designed TAA to intact tibiotalar motion. Method. A robotic testing system including a 6 DOF load cell (AMTI, Waltham, MA) was used to evaluate a simulated functional activity before and after implantation of a modern anatomically designed TAA (Figure 1). An experienced foot and ankle surgeon performed TAA on five fresh-frozen cadaveric specimens. The specimen tibia and fibula were potted and affixed to the robot arm (KUKA Robotics Inc., Augsburg, Germany) while the calcaneus was secured to a fixed pedestal (Figure 1). Passive reflective motion capture arrays were fixed to the tibia and talus and a portable coordinate measuring machine (Hexagon Metrology Group, Stockholm, Sweden) established the location of the markers relative to anatomical landmarks palpated on the tibia. A four camera motion capture system (The Motion Monitor, Innovative Sports Training, Chicago, IL) recorded the movement of the tibia and talus. The tibia was rotated from 30 degrees plantar flexion to 15 degrees dorsiflexion to simulate motions during the stance phase of gait. At each flexion angle the robot found the orientation which zeroed all forces and torques except compressive force, which was either 44N or 200N. Results. Preliminary data indicates the tibiotalar motion of the TAA is similar to the intact ankle. The pattern and magnitude of tibiotalar translations and rotations are similar between the intact and implanted states for both 44N and 200N compressive loads (Figure 2). The most variation occurs with internal-external rotation. Increased translation especially in the anterior-posterior directions was observed in plantarflexion while the mediolateral translation remained relatively centered moving less than a millimeter. The intact talus with respect to the calcaneus had less than 3 degrees of rotation over the whole arc of ankle flexion (Figure 3). The angular motion of the implanted talus was similar in pattern to the intact talus, however there were offsets in all three angular directions which changed depending on the loading (Figure 3). This indicates that most of the motion that occurs between the intact tibial calcaneal complex occurs in the tibiotalar joint. Conclusion. Although more investigation is required, this study adds to the limited available tibiotalar kinematic data. This current study suggests the anatomical TAA design allows the tibiotalar joint to behave in similar way to the intact tibiotalar joint. Restoring intact kinematics is an important step in restoring normal function to the joint. For figures/tables, please contact authors directly.

There are a variety of sizes currently available for reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) implant systems. Common sizing options include a smaller 36 to 38 mm or a larger 40 to 42 mm glenosphere, and are typically selected based on surgeon preference or patient size. Previous studies have only evaluated the abduction and adduction range of motion within a single plane of elevation, providing a limited view of the joint's possible range of motion. The purpose of this study was to use computer modeling to evaluate the abduction and adduction range of motion across multiple planes of elevation for a range of glenosphere sizes. Computed tomography images of four cadaveric specimens (age: 54 ± 24 years) were used to obtain the osseous anatomy to be utilised in the model. Solid-body motion studies of the RTSA models were constructed with varying glenosphere diameters of 33, 36, 39, 42, and 45 mm in Solidworks (Dassault Systems, US). The implant components were scaled, while maintaining a consistent centre of rotation. Simulations encompassing the full range of abduction and adduction were conducted for the planes of elevation between −15˚ and 135˚ at 15˚ intervals, with the motion of the humerus being constrained in neutral internal-external rotation throughout all planes. Angles of elevation were obtained utilising the humeral long axis and the RTSA centre of rotation. Statistical analysis was performed using repeated measures ANOVA. Glenosphere diameter was found to significantly affect the adduction range of motion (p=0.043), in which the largest size provided approximately 17˚ more adduction range of motion than the smallest. However, abduction range of motion was not found to be significantly affected through the alteration of glenosphere size (p=0.449). The plane of elevation was not found to significantly affect abduction or abduction (p=0.585 & p=0.225, respectively). Increasing glenosphere diameter resulted in an increased adduction range of motion when averaged across the tested planes of elevation; however the observed influence on abduction was not significant. These are similar to the trends observed in the previous single plane of elevation studies. These findings illustrate the importance of implant sizing related to range of motion. Further studies are required to determine the influence of glenosphere size on internal and external range of motion

Shoulder arthroplasty, both primary (TSA) and reverse (RTSA), are common interventions for arthritis and cuff tear arthropathy. The effect of shoulder arthroplasty on shoulder motion is of particular interest in assessing the effectiveness of the procedure and the development and biomechanical testing of implants. A comparison of the arthroplasty shoulder to that of the non-operated contralateral shoulder provides insight into how well the reconstruction has restored natural shoulder motion. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the shoulder motion of patients who have undergone shoulder arthroplasty and to compare the motion of the reconstructed and contralateral natural sides. Eleven human subjects (70±9yrs) who had undergone total shoulder arthroplasty wore a custom instrumented shirt for the waking hours of one day. The 3D orientation of each humeral sensor was transformed with respect to the torso to allow for the calculation of humeral elevation and plane of elevation angles. Joint angles for each subject were then discretised, and the operative and contralateral normal (control) shoulders were then compared. The majority of both the arthroplasty and control shoulder elevation motions took place below 80° of elevation, totaling on average 1910±373 and 1887±312 motions per hour, respectively. Conversely, elevations greater than 80° were significantly less with occurrences totaling only 55±31 and 78±41 motions per hour for the arthroplasty and control shoulders, respectively (p<0.01). Both the arthroplasty and control shoulder were at elevations below 80° for 88±7% and 87±7% of the day, respectively. When the total motion of the arthroplasty and non-operative control shoulders were compared, no statistically significant difference was detected (p=0.8), although the non-operated side exhibited marginally more motion than the operated side, an effect which was larger at higher elevation angles (p=0.3). This study provides insight into the effects of shoulder arthroplasty on thoraco-humeral motion and compares it to the non-operative side. Interestingly, there were no significant differences measured between the arthroplasty and the control side, which may demonstrate the effectiveness of reconstruction on restoring natural shoulder motion. It is interesting to note that on average, each shoulder arthroplasty elevated above 80° approximately 55 times per hour, corresponding to just under 330,000 motions per year. Similarly, when elevations greater than 60° are extrapolated, the resulting yearly motions total approximately 1.5 million cycles (Mc), which suggests that the ‘duty cycle’ of the shoulder is similar to the hip, approximated to be between 1–2 Mc per year. Arthroplasty wear simulators should be calibrated to simulate these patterns of motion, and component design may be improved by understanding the kinematics of actual shoulder motion

Purpose. To achieve 3D kinematic analysis of total knee arthroplasty (TKA), 2D/3D registration techniques, which use X-ray fluoroscopic images and computer aided design model of the knee implants, have been applied to clinical cases. However, most conventional methods have needed time-consuming and labor-intensive manual operations in some process. In particular, for the 3D pose estimation of tibial component model from X-ray images, these manual operations were carefully performed because the pose estimation of symmetrical tibial component get severe local minima rather than that of unsymmetrical femoral component. In this study, therefore, we propose an automated 3D kinematic estimation method of tibial component based on statistical motion model, which is created from previous analyzed 3D kinematic data of TKA. Methods. The used 2D/3D registration technique is based on a robust feature-based (contour-based) algorithm. In our proposed method, a statistical motion model which represents average and variability of joint motion is incorporated into the robust feature-based algorithm, particularly for the pose estimation of tibial component. The statistical motion model is created from previous a lot of analyzed 3D kinematic data of TKA. In this study, a statistical motion model for relative knee motion of the tibial component with respect to the femoral component was created and utilized. Fig. 1 shows each relative knee motion model for six degree of freedom (three translations and three rotations parameter). Thus, after the pose estimation of the femoral component model, 3D pose of the tibial component model is determined by maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation using the new cost function introduced the statistical motion model. Experimental results. To validate the feasibility and effectiveness of 3D pose estimation for the tibial component using the proposed method, experiments using X-ray fluoroscopic images of 20 TKA patients under the squatting knee motion were performed. For the creation of correct pose (reference data) and the statistical motion model, we used the 3D pose data which were got by carefully applying previous method to the contour images which spurious edges and noises were removed manually. In order to ensure the validity for the statistical motion model of the proposed method, leave-one-out cross validation method was applied. In the 3D pose estimation of tibial component model, for the only first frame, initial guess pose of the model was manually given. For all images except for the first frame, the 3D pose of the model was automatically estimated without manual initial guess pose of the model. To assess the automation performance, the automation rate was calculated, and the rate was defined as the X-ray frame number of satisfying clinical required accuracy (error within 1mm, 1 degree) relative to all X-ray frame number. As results of the experiments, 3D pose of the tibial component model for all X-ray images except for the first frame was full-automatically stably-estimated, and the automation rate was 80.1 %. Conclusions. The proposed method by MAP estimation introduced the statistical motion model was successfully performed, and did not need labor-intensive manual operations for 3D pose estimation of tibial component. For any figures or tables, please contact authors directly (see Info & Metrics tab above).

INTRODUCTION:. As a consequence from cervical arthroplasty, spine structural stiffness, loading and kinematics are changed, resulting in issues like adjacent segment degeneration and altered range of motion. However, complex anatomical structures and lack of adequate precision to study the facet joint (FJ) segmental motion in 3D have prevented proper quantitative analyses. In the current study, we investigate the innovative use of a local coordinate system on the surface of the superior articular process of the caudal vertebral body in order to analyze FJ segmental motion using CT-based 3D vertebral models in flexion/extension. METHODS:. CT images were obtained from six patients (2F/4M, mean age: 53 y.o.) with cervical degenerative disc disease in neutral, flexion and extension positions. CT data was used to create subject-specific surface mesh models of each vertebral body. From these, mean normal vectors were calculated for all FJ surfaces and posterior walls from C3/4 down to C6/7 (Fig. 1). The global coordinate system (x, y, z) corresponds to the CT scanner. Within this system, a new local coordinate system (u, v, w) was set on the centroid of each FJ surface (Fig. 1), where the u-, v-, and w- axes correspond to the normal-to-the-FJ, right-left and cranio-caudal directions, respectively. In flexion/extension, translations in mm were calculated as differences in the FJ centroid position and rotations were calculated in degrees as angular differences of the vector of the opposing surface in flexion/extension. Results are presented as mean ± SD. Differences within vertebral levels and left/right FJs were sought using 1- or 2-way ANOVA, respectively. RESULTS:. The flexion/extension segmental motion was described in its six degrees-of-freedom. Among the three translations, the largest movement was observed in the cranio-caudal direction (u = −0.22 ± 0.47 mm, v = 0.11 ± 0.89 mm, w = −2.06 ± 1.60 mm); while the three rotations about the (u, v, w) axes showed a dominant rotation about the v-axis (u = −0.41 ± 4.42°, v = −5.12 ± 5.61°, w = −0.01 ± 2.71°). Comparing translational and rotational motions by cervical level, movements at C6/7 were shown to be smaller than those at the other levels (p < 0.05) (Figs. 2, 3). There were no significant differences in the movement of the FJ between left and right sides (p > 0.05). DISCUSSION:. A key finding of this study was that along with the expected translation in the w-axis, there was rotation about the v-axis consistent with the overall neck flexion-to-extension motion. If the rotation about the v-axes were negligible, the FJ motion could be considered as a pure translation (sliding), but the data suggests otherwise. This finding supports the hypothesis of a rolling-sliding type of facet segmental motion that might be influenced by the facet surface curvature. Future studies will focus on analyses of the changes in FJ gap with motion and characterization of the facet surfaces' curvature and congruence. SIGNIFICANCE: An innovative look into flexion/extension motion from the FJ point of view describes FJ segmental motion as a sliding-rolling motion instead of the traditional concept of sliding-only mechanism