Evaluation of contact stress distribution on the surface of tibial insert component: Finite element analysis

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the contact stress distributions on the surface of the tibial insert between the posterior-stabilized (PS) and cruciate-retaining (CR) total knee arthroplasty (TKA). 3D finite element (FE) model of a femoral and the tibial insert component was constructed and analyzed using computer software. The results showed that the contact stress distribution on the tibial insert depends on the flexion angle. The maximum magnitude of contact stress in the PS TKA was higher than in the CR TKA, while the contact area of the former was lower than that of the latter. In addition, the results of FE simulations were similar to results from mechanical test using the Fujifilm technique. This study can explain differences between the two types of TKA, observing the behavior of the contact mechanism based on the contact knee test.

Keywords

• contact stress
• tibial insert
• total knee arthroplasty
• finite element analysis