Document Type
Thesis
Date of Degree
Summer 2014
Degree Name
MS (Master of Science)
Degree In
Biomedical Engineering
First Advisor
Donald D. Anderson
First Committee Member
Neil A Segal
Second Committee Member
Thomas D Brown
Abstract
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type of arthritis, a disease in which inflammation and stiffness of the joints occur. This debilitating disease of the joints currently reigns as the most prevalent among the world's populations. Of particular interest to our group is the study of the biomechanical factors relating to knee OA. Studies have shown that knee OA is related to multiple biomechanical factors, all of which are complexly interrelated. These factors have been seen to produce varied effects on the structures of the knee. This work examines validation of a computational model implementing discrete element analysis, and discusses the potential for large-scale, subject-specific modeling of the knee. In particular, contact stress can be estimated using this technique, and these estimates can potentially be related to OA onset in subjects.
Keywords
contact stress, discrete element analysis, intra-articular, osteoarthritis, prediction, validation
Pages
x, 113 pages
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 107-113).
Copyright
Copyright 2014 Tyler Joseph Stockman