Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Biomechanical And Biological Evaluation Of A Model Of Post-Traumatic Osteoarthritis Following Noninvasive, Traumatic Rupture Of The Anterior Cruciate Ligament, Tristan Maerz

Wayne State University Dissertations

Post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) is a prevalent condition following rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). While numerous animal models of PTOA exist, most are based on surgical disruption of a stabilizing structure. In the rat, surgical ACL transection is the most commonly employed model, but it may introduce confounding biological factors due to surgery. The purpose of this dissertation was to utilize the tibial compression model of ACL injury to induce a noninvasive ACL rupture in the rat. First, a biomechanical characterization of four different loading protocols was undertaken, and a high-speed, high-displacement protocol was deemed optimal for inducing a …