Variations in Growth Plate Stresses and Fluid Pressures during the Stance Phase of Normal Gait

Introduction: Clinically, malalignment of the knee has been shown to create altered joint contact loads, however, it is not understood how this affects longitudinal bone growth. Previous investigators have addressed this issue by applying static loads in a two-dimensional linear elastic finite element model (2). However, studies have shown that load passing through the knee is highly dependent not only on a static angular deformity, but also on dynamic factors during gait (4). Therefore, the objective of this preliminary study is to investigate the patterns of stress and fluid pressure within the proximal tibia growth plate during a normal gait cycle.