Bearing surface modeling of the talus and calcaneus

Introduction Precise talar in vivo motion is difficult to measure due to its inaccessibility to surface based measures. Thus, most measures of talar motion have been limited to cadaver based measures, typically under static conditions. Quantitative measures of the talar bearing surfaces and their ability to mesh with the calcaneal and malleolar bearing surfaces would provide an understanding of the envelope of movements available in both in healthy and pathological joints. Such measures could exploit the availability of 3D non-invasive imaging methodologies, making it available for large-scale healthy and pathological studies. Thus, the purpose of this work is to mathematically model the bearing surfaces of the talar and calcaneal bones in order to determine the allowable motions of a healthy joint.