The aim of this study was to characterize the effect of ligament water content on the accumulation of damage Ligament water content may be altered MCLs of the rabbit knee were subjected to a constant cyclic stress (28 MPa) in this After twenty-four hours of loading, ligaments cycled in hypotonic solution at 0.1 Hz had statistically significant reductions in both failure stress and failure strain. This group also demonstrated significantly more cyclic strain during loading than MCLs cycled in isotonic solution. Surprisingly, a significant difference in cyclic modulus was not detected between groups. This study has demonstrated that elevated tissue water content influences the accumulation of damage in ligaments subjected to repetitive loading
We used 15 pairs of femora from fresh human cadavers to study the effects of the size and location of the entry hole for an intramedullary nail on the strength of the femur. Right femora were used as controls. Left femora in group 1 had a 10 mm entry hole in the 'ideal' location in the piriformis fossa. Group 2 had a 14 mm entry hole in the same position and group 3 had a 14 mm entry hole anterior to this on the superior aspect of the femoral neck. Femora were equipped with strain gauges and loaded to failure in compression. There was reduced stiffness and load to failure in group 3 specimens, suggesting that the location of the hole was more important than its size.