Applied biomechanics in articular injuries: perspectives in the basic investigation of articular injuries and clinical application.

Joint injury is an important cause of arthritis. Although the treatment of injury, in general, has been widely studied, the contribution of injury to the development of posttraumatic arthritis is still a relatively understudied area. One of the most perplexing aspects of investigating articular injuries is the complex nature of the injury itself and the multiple facets of the injury mechanism that can potentially lead to the development of arthritis. A symposium by the Orthopaedic Research Society and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons was designed to examine the spectrum of basic science to clinical investigation in the role of biomechanics in the study of joint injury and subsequent posttraumatic arthritis. Four perspectives in the clinical aspects of managing articular injuries were investigated, including the clinical applications of basic science findings, the challenges and advancements in measuring and modeling articular fractures, the relationship of articular cartilage mechanical injuries and osteoarthritis, and the controlled creation of an intra-articular fracture to permit observations of the natural history of posttraumatic arthritis.