The effect of cyclic loading on knee ligaments was studied both in vivo and in vitro. The compliance of the medial collateral ligaments of athletes participating in hockey, basketball, soc cer, and downhill skiing was determined by using a specially built machine. Tests were conducted before and after partici pation in the various sports. Most subjects tested showed an increased compliance after their respective sporting activities. This observation was confirmed in the laboratory by imparting cyclic loading to 10 people under controlled conditions. The in vitro studies were conducted on the medial collateral ligaments of rats. These were tested to determine the effect of cyclic loading on the strength and stiffness of the ligaments. Results show a clear relationship between decreased stiffness or soften ing and a reduction in strength of the ligament. The amount of softening was related to the cyclic stress in the ligament.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Glick JM: A study of ligamentous looseness in football players and its relation to injury . Abbott Proc1: 34-39, 1971
2.
Johnson RJ, Pope MH, Weisman G., et al: The knee injury in skiing. A multifaceted approach Am J Sports Med7: 321-327, 1979
3.
Klein KK: Muscular strength and the knee. Physician Sportsmed2: 29-31, 1974
4.
Marshall JL, Johnson RJ: Mechanisms of the most common ski injuries. Physician Sportsmed5: 49-51, 1977
5.
Nicholas JA: Injuries to knee ligaments, relationship to a looseness and tightness in football players. JAMA212: 2236-2239, 1970
6.
Morehouse CA : Evaluation of knee abduction and adduction: The effects of selected exercise programs on knee stability and its relationship to knee injuries in college football. Final Project Report to Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Grant RD-2815M, 1970
Lease Go'd , Evans FG: Strength of human metatarsal bones under repetitive loading. J Appl Physiol14: 49-51, 1959
13.
Seireg A., Kempke W.: Behavior of in vivo bone under cyclic loading. J Biomech2: 455-461, 1969
14.
Abrahams M. : Mechanical behavior of tendon in vitro. Med Biol Engr5: 433-443, 1967
15.
Fung YC: Stress-Strain history relations of soft tissues in simple elongation . In Biomechanics, Its Foundations and Objectives, edited by YC Fung, N Perrone, M Anliker. Englewood Cliffs, NJ, Prentice-Hall, 1972, pp 181-208
16.
Laros GS, Tipton CM, Cooper RR: Influence of physical activity on ligament insertions in the knees of dogs . J Bone Joint Surg53A: 275-286, 1971
17.
Rasch PJ, Maniscalco R., Pierson WR, et al: Effect of exercise, immobilization and intermittent stretching on strength of knee ligaments of albino rats. J Appl Physiol15: 289-290, 1960
18.
Tipton CM, James SL, Mergner W., et al: Influence of exercise on strength of medial collateral knee ligaments of dogs. Am J Physiol218: 894-902, 1970
19.
Tipton CM, Matthes RO, Maynard JA, et al: The influence of physical activity on ligaments and tendons . Med Sci Sports7: 165-175, 1975
20.
Tipton CM, Schild RJ, Tomanek RJ: Influence of physical activity on the strength of knee ligaments in rats. Am J Physiol212: 783-787, 1967
21.
Viidik A., Lewin T.: Changes in tensile strength characteristics and histology of rabbit ligaments induced by different modes of post-mortal storage. Acta Orthop Scand37: 141-155, 1966
22.
Zuckerman J. , Stull GA: Effects of exercise on knee ligament separation force in rats. J Appl Physiol26: 716-719, 1969
23.
Weightman B. , Chappell DJ, Jenkins EA: A second study of tensile fatigue properties of human articular cartilage. Ann Rheum Dis37: 58-63, 1978
24.
Broom ND: The stress/strain and fatigue behavior of glutaraldehyde preserved heart-valve tissue. J Biomech10: 707-724, 1977
25.
White BF, Brown DM, Johnson RJ, et al: The knee impedance testing machine. Med Instrum13: 227-231, 1979
26.
Viidik A.: Elasticity and tensile strength of the anterior cruciate ligament in rabbits as influenced by training. Acta Physiol Scand74: 372-380, 1968
27.
Haut R., Little RW: A constitutive equation for collagen fibers. J Biomech5: 423-30, 1972
28.
Crowninshield RD: On the Biomechanics of the Knee. Ph.D. thesis, University of Vermont, 1975
29.
Kraus H.: Evaluation and treatment of muscle function in athletic injury. Am J Surg98: 353-362, 1959
30.
Smith EL: The Effect of Physical Activity on Bone. M.A. thesis, University of Minnesota, 1966
31.
Morris JM, Blickenstaff LS: Fatigue Fractures. Springfield, IL, Charles C Thomas, 1967, pp 7-10
32.
Devas MG: Stress, fractures of the femoral neck. J Bone Joint Surg47B: 728-737, 1965
33.
Schneider R. , Kaye JJ: Insufficiency and stress fractures of the long bones occurring in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Radiology116: 595-599, 1975
34.
Radin EL, Parker HG, Pugh JW, et al: Response of joints to impact loading. III. Relationship between trabecular microfractures and cartilage degeneration J Biomech6: 51-57, 1973
35.
Sandor BI: Fundamentals of Cyclic Stress and Strain. Madison, WI, University of Wisconsin Press, 1972, pp 71-84
36.
Steams ML: Studies on the development of connective tissue in transparent chambers in the rabbit's ear. Am J Anat66: 133-176, 1940
37.
Schaeffer EA (Quain's Anatomy. Longmans Green, London, 1912), as referenced by Eliott DH: The biomechancial properties of tendon as related to muscular strength . Ann Phys Med9: 1-7, 1967
38.
Rigby BJ, Hirai N., Spikes JO, et al: The mechanical properties of rat tail tendon. J Gen Physiol43: 265-283, 1958
39.
Hirsch G. Tensile properties during tendon healing. Acta Orthop Scand [Suppl] 153: 1-79, 1974
40.
Elliot DH: Structure and function of mammalian tendon. Biol Rev40: 392, 1965
LeBan MM :Collagen tissue: Implications of its response to stress in vitro. Arch Phys Med Rehabil43: 461-466, 1962
43.
Stucke K.: Langenbecks Arch Klin Chir 265: 579, 1950, as cited by Elliot DH: The biomechanical properties of tendon in relation to muscular strengths . Ann Phys Med9: 1-7, 1969
44.
Bartel DL, Marshall JL, Schieck RA: Surgical repositioning of the medial collateral ligament. J Bone Joint Surg59A: 107-116, 1977
45.
Salkind MJ: Composite Materials: Testing and Design. Philadelphia , American Society for Testing and Materials, publication no. 497,1972,p 143
