Tensions in the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments of the knee during passive loading: Predicting ligament loads from in situ measurements

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Abstract
Cruciate ligament tensions were predicted for anteroposterior (AP) tibial translation at 20°, 30°, 80°, and 90° of knee flexion based on in vitro measurements from six cadaver knees. A three‐dimensional trigonometric equation was derived to calculate ligament tension as functions of AP force applied to the tibia and knee flexion angle (KFA). AP forces ≤ 150 N were applied. Ligament tension increased with applied AP force. The relationship between ligament tension and applied AP force appeared linear, but a Hotteling's T2 test failed to demonstrate a linear relationship. Tensions in the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) attained magnitudes of ≅ 140 N. Tensions in the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) attained magnitudes of ≅ 220 N. An analysis was performed to determine the sensitivity of ligament tension to hypothetical errors in the experimentally measured parameters used to compute ligament tension. The new method we report can be used to determine tensions in the ligaments of the knee or other joints for various loading conditions.