Whole joint models of articular injury and articular fracture
A variety of whole joint models have been reported to study the effects of articular injury. This chapter reviews whole joint injury models in both human cadavers and animal models. These injury models include articular loading without fracture, fracture (osteotomy) creation without loading, and articular fracture creation with impact loading. In most cases these models were developed to study specific questions of fracture fixation, or tissue-specific effects of an injury mechanism. Only recently have models been developed that allow investigators to study the effects of an articular injury on the joint as an organ system. This chapter reviews these experimental models for the benefit of current and future investigators interested in PTA research.
