Ligament and meniscus loading in the ovine stifle joint during normal gait

Abstract Background The ovine stifle joint is an ideal preclinical model to study knee joint biomechanics. Knowledge of the ovine ligamentous and meniscal loading during normal gait is currently limited. Methods The in vivo kinematics of the ovine stifle joint (N = 4) were measured during “normal” gait using a highly accurate instrumented spatial linkage (ISL, 0.3 ± 0.2 mm). These motions were reproduced in vitro using a unique robotic testing platform and the loads carried by the anterior/posterior cruciate ligaments (ACL/PCL), medial/lateral collateral ligaments (MCL/LCL), and medial/lateral menisci (MM/LM) during gait were determined. Results Considerable inter-subject variability in tissue loads was observed. The load in the ACL was near zero at hoof-strike (0% gait) and reached a peak (100 to 300 N) during early-stance (~ 10% gait). The PCL reached a peak load (200 to 500 N) just after hoof-strike (~ 5% gait) and was mostly unloaded throughout the remainder of stance. Load in the MCL was substantially lower than the cruciate ligaments, reaching a maximum of 50 to 100 N near the beginning of stance. The LCL carried a negligible amount of load through the entire gait cycle. There was also a major contribution of the MM and LM to load transfer from the femur to the tibia during normal gait. The total meniscal load reached a maximum average between 350 and 550 N during gait. Conclusion Knowledge of joint function during normal motion is essential for understanding normal and pathologic joint states. The considerable variability in the magnitudes and patterns of tissue loads among animals simulates clinical variability in humans. Level of evidence III.