Biomechanical Study on Injury and Treatment of Human Knee Joint

The knee joint is one of the most important joints for weight bearing and exercising. The structure of knee is complicated, it is mainly composed of the patellofemoral and tibiofemoral joints. Articular cartilage, meniscus and ligaments together constitute the knee restraint system, which determine knee motion pattern and function in 6 degrees of freedom. However, knee joint injuries are frequent and have important links with biomechanical factors. Ligament tear is one of the typical acute injuries. Medial lateral ligament (MCL) and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) are the most vulnerable ligaments in the knee joint. However, MCL can gradually recover through conservative treatment, while ACL needs to be treated by ligament reconstruction surgery. Biomechanics of surgery factors have a direct relationship with long-term post-operative outcome. Osteoarthritis is a typical chronic injury of the knee joint. Mechanical factors are interspersed in the occurrence, development and treatment of osteoarthritis. The purpose of this chapter is to introduce the biomechanics of knee joints and its application in injury prevention and treatment.