Inclusion of initial strain in the ligaments improves knee joint finite element model accuracy

Patient-specific computational models of the knee joint have the potential to diagnose the early onset of osteoarthritis and help surgeons in identifying the appropriate intervention to mitigate or prevent disease progression. An in vitro subject-specific finite element model of a human knee joint was developed from MRI scans. The effect of initial strain and fibre orientation in cruciate and collateral ligaments on the knee kinematics and kinetics was investigated by employing Holpzapfel-Gesser-Ogden (HGO) hyperelastic material model. The inclusion of initial strain in the ligaments altered the contact pressure by up to 12%.