Trabecular architecture of the knee joint.

The trabecular architecture of the human knee joint was studied three dimensionally by microradiography. The trabecular arrangement of the two condylar wheels of the femur was divided into five types. The trabeculae are so arranged that both condyles are able to adjust to mechanical compression and rotary movement. In the tibia, each trabecular arrangement has a different mechanical function. The epiphyseal line can be considered a laminated structure interposed between the compressive forces acting from the articular surface and the forces supporting the architecture of the metaphysis. The mechanics and kinematics of the traecular architecture are discussed.