Investigators: Anthony Bull, Dr Dominique Southgate
Stream: PhD
Topic: Biomechanics/Design (Shoulder)
Status: Completed
The aim of the thesis was to establish the role of the passive structures in the glenohumeral joint and model their contribution to stability of the shoulder. This was achieved through two approaches; mechanical testing of cadaveric specimens and computational modelling.The cadaveric testing used a custom-made apparatus to assess rotational and translational laxity of the joint, as well the effect of intra-articular pressure, biceps tenotomy and superior labral tears. The data from cadaveric testing was used to evaluate a computational model of the glenohumeral ligaments and adjust the parameters to improve the accuracy of the calculations.
A musculoskeletal model of the upper limb, capable of predicting the muscle forces at the shoulder, was also modified to include the forces in the ligaments and thus estimate their relative contribution to shoulder stability.
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