Effects of medial collateral ligament release, limb correction, and soft tissue laxity on knee joint contact force distribution after medial opening wedge high tibial osteotomy: a computational study

Abstract

In this study, the effects of medial collateral ligament (MCL) release and the limb correction strategies with pre-existing MCL laxity on tibiofemoral contact force distribution after high tibial osteotomy (HTO) were investigated. The medial and lateral contact forces of the knee were quantified during simulated standing using computational modeling techniques. MCL slackness had a primary influence on contact force distribution of the knee, while there was little effect of simulated limb correction. Anterior and middle bundle release, which involved the partial release of two-thirds of the superficial MCL, was shown to be an optimal surgical method in HTO, achieving balanced contact distribution in simulated weight-bearing standing.

Keywords:

• High tibial osteotomy
• medial collateral ligament release
• knee contact force

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIP) [No. 2017R1E1A1A03070418].