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Osteoarthritis is a common chronic joint disease that affects 10% of the population in Canada and almost 14% in Saskatchewan. The knee is the most common joint affected and is considered to be one of the leading causes of disability and discomfort among seniors. Dr. Rami Al-Nazer is building a knee joint model that will provide insight into strain distribution during physical activity.

Strains within the bone tissue play a major role in bone (re)modeling. Dr. Al-Nazer has proposed that constructing a flexible knee joint model will provide data regarding the stress/strain distribution at times of increased physical activity. Currently such a model does not exist. To build the model, Dr. Al-Nazer and his team are using state-of-the-art human musculoskeletal modeling software, accompanied by medical imaging, bone mechanical testing and motion capture. The model will be used to simulate several daily activities to identify the optimal knee motion for maintaining healthy knee joints and preventing the progression of osteoarthritis.

By examining stress/strain distribution at the bone near the joint surface, Dr. Al-Nazer will improve the understanding of knee joint musculoskeletal disorders. This knowledge will contribute to the development of treatments and prevention strategies that preserve normal joint mechanics. The model can further be used to investigate factors that increase the risk of developing osteoarthritis and may assist in the clinical success of knee joint replacement design.

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