Finite element analysis of stress in the equine proximal phalanx.
Abstract: To improve understanding of the internal structure of the proximal phalanx (P1), response of the bone to load and possible relation to the pathogenesis of fractures in P1. Objective: To model the P1 and replicate the loads experienced by the bone in stance, walk, trot and gallop using finite element analysis. Methods: The geometry of the P1 was captured using micro-computed tomography (μCT) and was reconstructed in 3 dimensions. Values for material properties and forces experienced at stance, walk, trot and gallop were taken from the literature and were applied to the reconstructed model. Using the same total load across the proximal articular surface, the model was solved with and without loading of the sagittal groove. Biomechanical performance was then simulated with finite element analysis and evaluated in terms of von Mises stress maps. Results: Compared with the lowest force simulation equivalent to stance, the effects of the gallop force showed higher levels of stress along the sagittal groove and on the palmar surface just distal to the sagittal groove in both models, with and without the sagittal groove loaded. The results highlighted an area of bone on the dorsal aspect of P1 that experiences lower stress compared with the rest of the dorsal surface, an effect that was much more apparent when the sagittal groove was not loaded. Qualitative comparison of the models revealed minimal difference in the pattern of von Mises stress between the loaded and unloaded groove models. Conclusions: The study demonstrates a finite element model of P1 that produces results consistent with clinical observation. The simulated high stress levels associated with the sagittal groove correspond to the most common site for fractures in the equine P1. Conclusions: With refinement of the model and further investigation, it may be possible to improve understanding of the behaviour of P1 under loading conditions that more closely simulate those experienced in the living animal, leading to a more solid understanding of fractures of P1.
© 2012 EVJ Ltd.
Publication Date: 2012-09-04 PubMed ID: 22943561DOI: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2012.00635.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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This research study investigates the internal structure and stress responses of the proximal phalanx (P1), an essential bone in a horse’s leg, during various actions such as standing and different gaits (walk, trot, gallop). The goal of the study was to identify stress patterns that might contribute to common P1 fractures using finite element analysis and μCT scans.
Materials and Methods
- The researchers began by gathering geometric data of the P1 bone using micro-computed tomography (μCT), enabling them to create a detailed 3-dimensional reconstruction of the bone’s structure.
- They then utilized existing literature to establish values for the material properties of the bone and the forces it would typically experience during different actions, such as standing or moving at a walk, trot, or gallop.
- Applying these values to their reconstructed model of P1, the team performed finite element analysis to simulate the bone’s biomechanical performance under various load conditions. These simulations were evaluated using von Mises stress maps.
- The same total load was used across the proximal articular surface, and the model was solved with and without loading the sagittal groove, a key feature of the bone.
Results
- The results indicated that stress levels on the P1 bone were highest along the sagittal groove and the palmar surface just distal to the groove during high force actions, such as galloping.
- It was found that an area on the dorsal aspect of P1 experienced lower stress than the rest of the dorsal surface.
- There was minimal difference in stress patterns regardless of whether the sagittal groove was loaded.
Conclusion
- The study’s model produced results consistent with the clinical observation of P1 fractures, especially the observation that the sagittal groove is the most common site for these fractures.
- Researchers concluded that further refinement of the model and more extensive investigation could lead to a better understanding of P1 behavior under varying load conditions.
- Such understanding could eventually lead to enhanced preventative measures against common fractures of the P1 bone in horses.
Cite This Article
APA
O'Hare LM, Cox PG, Jeffery N, Singer ER.
(2012).
Finite element analysis of stress in the equine proximal phalanx.
Equine Vet J, 45(3), 273-277.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.2012.00635.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Liverpool, UK. xp0肫@liv.ac.uk
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Biomechanical Phenomena
- Computer Simulation
- Finite Element Analysis
- Forelimb / physiology
- Horses / physiology
- Models, Biological
- Stress, Physiological / physiology
- Tomography, X-Ray Computed / methods
- Tomography, X-Ray Computed / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 9 times.- Steiner J, Richter H, Kaufmann R, Ohlerth S. Characterization of Normal Bone in the Equine Distal Limb with Effective Atomic Number and Electron Density Determined with Single-Source Dual Energy and Detector-Based Spectral Computed Tomography. Animals (Basel) 2024 Mar 30;14(7).
- Faulkner JE, Joostens Z, Broeckx BJG, Hauspie S, Mariën T, Vanderperren K. Follow-Up Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Sagittal Groove Disease of the Equine Proximal Phalanx Using a Classification System in 29 Non-Racing Sports Horses. Animals (Basel) 2023 Dec 21;14(1).
- Sarin JK, Torniainen J, Prakash M, Rieppo L, Afara IO, Töyräs J. Dataset on equine cartilage near infrared spectra, composition, and functional properties. Sci Data 2019 Aug 30;6(1):164.
- Cox PG. The jaw is a second-class lever in Pedetes capensis (Rodentia: Pedetidae). PeerJ 2017;5:e3741.
- McIntosh AF, Cox PG. The impact of gape on the performance of the skull in chisel-tooth digging and scratch digging mole-rats (Rodentia: Bathyergidae). R Soc Open Sci 2016 Oct;3(10):160568.
- Panagiotopoulou O, Rankin JW, Gatesy SM, Hutchinson JR. A preliminary case study of the effect of shoe-wearing on the biomechanics of a horse's foot. PeerJ 2016;4:e2164.
- McCarty CA, Thomason JJ, Gordon KD, Burkhart TA, Milner JS, Holdsworth DW. Finite-Element Analysis of Bone Stresses on Primary Impact in a Large-Animal Model: The Distal End of the Equine Third Metacarpal. PLoS One 2016;11(7):e0159541.
- Noble P, Singer ER, Jeffery NS. Does subchondral bone of the equine proximal phalanx adapt to race training?. J Anat 2016 Jul;229(1):104-13.
- Vickerton P, Jarvis JC, Gallagher JA, Akhtar R, Sutherland H, Jeffery N. Morphological and histological adaptation of muscle and bone to loading induced by repetitive activation of muscle. Proc Biol Sci 2014 Aug 7;281(1788):20140786.
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