Forearm fractures in children are very common among all pediatric fractures. However, biomechanical investigations on the pediatric forearm are rather scarce, partially due to the complex anatomy, closely situated, interrelated structures, highly dynamic movement patterns, and lack of appropriate tools. The purpose of this study is to develop a computational tool for child forearm investigation and characterize the mechanical responses of a backward fall using the computational model. A three-dimensional 10-year-old child forearm finite element (FE) model, which includes the ulna, radius, carpal bones, metacarpals, phalanges, cartilages and ligaments, was developed. The high-quality hexahedral FE meshes were created using a multi-block approach to ensure computational accuracy. The material properties of the FE model were obtained by scaling reported adult experimental data. The design of computational experiments was performed to investigate material sensitivity and the effects of relevant parameters in backward fall. Numerical results provided a spectrum of child forearm responses with various effective masses and forearm angles. In addition, a conceptual L-shape wrist guard design was simulated and found to be able to reduce child distal radius fracture.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of disc thickness on the normal behavior of the temporomandibular joint. Based on a specific patient case, CT scan images showing accentuated wear in the right disc were reconstructed and the geometrical and finite element model of the temporomandibular joint structures (cranium, mandible, articular cartilages and articular discs) was developed. The loads applied in this study were referent to the five most relevant muscular forces acting on the temporomandibular joint during daily tasks such as talking or eating. We observed that the left side structures of the temporomandibular joint (cranium, mandible and articular disc) were the most affected as a consequence of the wear on the opposite articular disc (right side). From these results, it was possible to evaluate the differences in the two sides of the joint and understand how a damaged articular disc influences the behavior of this joint and the possible consequences that can arise without treatment.

Computational multibody models of the elbow can provide a versatile tool to study joint mechanics, cartilage loading, ligament function and the effects of joint trauma and orthopaedic repair. An efficiently developed computational model can assist surgeons and other investigators in the design and evaluation of treatments for elbow injuries, and contribute to improvements in patient care. The purpose of this study was to develop an anatomically correct elbow joint model and validate the model against experimental data. The elbow model was constrained by multiple bundles of non-linear ligaments, three-dimensional deformable contacts between articulating geometries, and applied external loads. The developed anatomical computational models of the joint can then be incorporated into neuro-musculoskeletal models within a multibody framework. In the approach presented here, volume images of two cadaver elbows were generated by computed tomography (CT) and one elbow by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to construct the three-dimensional bone geometries for the model. The ligaments and triceps tendon were represented with non-linear spring-damper elements as a function of stiffness, ligament length and ligament zero-load length. Articular cartilage was represented as uniform thickness solids that allowed prediction of compliant contact forces. As a final step, the subject specific model was validated by comparing predicted kinematics and triceps tendon forces to experimentally obtained data of the identically loaded cadaver elbow. The maximum root mean square (RMS) error between the predicted and measured kinematics during the complete testing cycle was 4.9 mm medial-lateral translational of the radius relative to the humerus (for Specimen 2 in this study) and 5.30 internal-external rotation of the radius relative to the humerus (for Specimen 3 in this study). The maximum RMS error for triceps tendon force was 7.6 N (for Specimen 3).

With the goal of increasing the survivorship of the prosthesis and anticipating primary stability problems of new prosthetic implants, finite element evaluation of the micromotion, at an early stage of the development, is mandatory. This allows assessing and optimizing different designs without manufacturing prostheses. This study aimed at investigating, using finite element analysis (FEA), the difference in the prediction of the primary stability of cementless hip prostheses implanted into a $Sawbones^{(R)}$ 4th generation, using the manufacturer's mechanical properties and using mechanical properties close to that of human bone provided by the literature (39 papers). FEA was carried out on the composite $Sawbones^{(R)}$ implanted with a straight taper femoral stem subjected to a loading condition simulating normal walking. Our results show that micromotion increases with a reduction of the bone material properties and decreases with the augmentation of the bone material properties at the stem-bone interface. Indeed, a decrease of the cancellous Young modulus from 155MPa to 50MPa increased the average micromotion from $29{\mu}m$ up to $41{\mu}m$ (+42%), whereas an increase of the cancellous Young modulus from 155MPa to 1000MPa decreased the average micromotion from $29{\mu}m$ to $5{\mu}m$ (-83%). A decrease of cortical Young modulus from 16.7GPa to 9GPa increase the average global micromotion from $29{\mu}m$ to $35{\mu}m$ (+33%), whereas an increase of the cortical Young modulus from 16.7GPa to 21GPa decreased the average global micromotion from $29{\mu}m$ to $27{\mu}m$ (-7%). It can also be seen that the material properties of the cancellous structure had a greater influence on the micromotion than the material properties of the cortical structure. The present study shows that micromotion predicted at the stem-bone interface with material properties of the $Sawbones^{(R)}$ 4th generation is close to that predicted with mechanical properties of human femur.

The usual assumption that the increase of fractures in aging bone is due entirely to lower bone density is taken back with respect to the possibility that aging bone fractures result from a loss of stability, or buckling, in the structure of the bone lattice. Buckling is an instability mode that becomes likely in end-loaded structures when they become too slender and lose lateral support. The relative importance of bone density and architecture in etiology bone fractures are poorly understood and the need for improved mechanistic understanding of bone failure is at the core of important clinical problems such as osteoporosis, as well as basic biological issues such as bone formation and adaptation. These observations motivated the present work in which simplified adaptive-beam buckling model is formulated within the context of the adaptive elasticity (Cowin and Hegedus 1976, Hegedus and Cowin 1976). Our results indicate that bone loss activation process leads systematically to the apparition of new elastic instabilities that can conduct to bone-buckling mechanism of fracture.