Influence of cartilage thickness on Human Femur Neck: a 3D Stress-Strain Analysis

Articular cartilage is a fundamental part of the hip joint. Finite element (FE) analysis is performed on a 3D model of the proximal part of the human femur with the aim to assess the influence of the cartilage thickness on the stress and strain patterns within the bone structure. We considered decreasing values of cartilage thickness in order to mimic structural changes due to aging. A loading condition simulating the stance phase of gait in a healthy subject is applied to the FE model. For different values of the cartilage thickness of the FE model, principal stresses and strains are calculated within a section sited in proximity of the femur neck. The results suggest that cartilage morphology is a parameter that might be studied as one of the factors contributing risk of fracture.