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Effects Of Normal And Abnormal Loading Conditions On Morphogenesis Of The Prenatal Hip Joint: Application To Hip Dysplasia, Mario Giorgi, Alessandra Carriero, Sandra J. Shefelbine, Niamh C. Nowlan

Biomedical Engineering and Sciences Faculty Publications

Joint morphogenesis is an important phase of prenatal joint development during which the opposing cartilaginous rudiments acquire their reciprocal and interlocking shapes. At an early stage of development, the prenatal hip joint is formed of a deep acetabular cavity that almost totally encloses the head. By the time of birth, the acetabulum has become shallower and the femoral head has lost substantial sphericity, reducing joint coverage and stability. In this study, we use a dynamic mechanobiological simulation to explore the effects of normal (symmetric), reduced and abnormal (asymmetric) prenatal movements on hip joint shape, to understand their importance for postnatal …